Richmond, Virginia — February 19, 2007
Delegate Donald McEachin is profiled in the RTD and describes the role his faith plays in his life.
Richmond, Virginia — December 13, 2006
Last night I attended a reception for Delegate Donald McEachin (D-74th). The support I saw there was amazing. Governor Kaine was there and spoke graciously about his relationship with McEachin going back as far as the time when McEachin was a summer law clerk at Kaine’s law firm. Then Senator Henry Marsh introduced McEachin. Senator Marsh is a soft-spoken and modest man who carries himself with tremendous dignity. I have seen him at RCDC meetings and at various Democratic functions around the city, and I have come to respect him deeply. That Donald McEachin attracts the support of men like Governor Kaine and Senator Marsh speaks very highly of him.
But last night’s reception was not for McEachin’s state senate campaign, it was for his re-election campaign fund. McEachin, who lives in Benny Lambert’s 9th Senate District, is rumored to be pondering a primary run against Lambert. To this date McEachin has neither confirmed or denied the rumor.
In the spirit of our successful “Draft Webb” campaign last year, I have created this site as a place for supporters and friends of Delegate Donald McEachin to come and leave messages of support. My hope is that if McEachin sees the tremendous grassroots and netroots support he has, he will agree to challenge Lambert in a Democratic primary.
Please leave your messages of support in the comments section below. Also, if you have a website of your own and you would like to show your support for McEachin, feel free to add one of the “Draft McEachin” badges to your site by copying and pasting the code below the badge.
Keep checking back for updates, as this site will hopefully evolve very quickly and acquire other contributors.
Thanks!
Richmond, Virginia — December 14, 2006
Delegate Donald McEachin is profiled in this week’s Style Weekly! It’s another great back page column by Conaway Haskins III of South of the James fame.
While other members of the Legislative Black Caucus backed Webb’s primary opponent or remained neutral, McEachin stepped out on a limb to help Webb early and often. As they stood side by side at events, the large-framed, eloquent African-American attorney and rock-jawed white ex-Marine cast an intriguing visual image, one that was not lost on observers. While McEachin’s actions may not have moved hordes of black voters to Webb during the primary season, his move sent signals to black and white Democrats alike that post-primary, Webb would not be easily pigeonholed on racial issues. It was a prescient move.
You can read Conaway’s article, “McEachins’s Moment?” at Style Weekly.
I join Richmond Democrat in his desire to persuade Don to run to replace Bennie Lambert, who simply put, is a disgrace. If in fact Allen had ever done anything for traditionally black colleges there might have been some justification, but Allen’s track record was horrible. And in doing what he did Bennie violated the rules of the Virginia Democratic party, and of the various party committees with which he has been affiliated.
By contrast, Don McEachin stuck his neck way out on behalf of Jim Webb at a time when it was not clear Jim would survive his primary. Think what the result would have been - Harris Miller losing to Allen by at least 10 and probably more points.
Even after the election Don put aside his own personal political career to help Jim make his transition to elective office.
The great tragedy for Virginia is that the Commonwealth did not elect Don as AG instead of the noxious Kilgore.
We need to persuade Don that he should become one of 40 instead of one of 100, especially as we have a far better chance of taking back the state senate than we do the house of delegates. We need his leadership.
I’m all in on this one.
I don’t know Don McEachin except by reputation. And I don’t live in either his current district (74th) nor that of Senate district 9. So why should I be interested in drafting Delegate McEachin to primary current occupant Benny Lambert? Two reasons.
First, all of us should be interested in having the very best people that we can have in the General Assembly. I believe Delegate McEachin would serve the interests of the people in the 9th well.
Second, I am disappointed with the behavior of Senator Lambert. Lambert’s excuses for supporting Allen simply don’t make a lot of sense. Even more than that, though, is the idea that he should be re-elected as a Democrat when he failed to support the Democratic nominee. I said it at the time and I’ll repeat it here. Lambert, as an elected Democrat, had two choices: support the nominee or sit on his hands. He chose neither. He does not deserve Democratic support.
I look forward to the election of A. Donald McEachin for Senate.
Richmond, Virginia — January 3, 2006
Earlier today, Senator Henry Marsh and Delegate Donald McEachin led a group of Black legislators in calling for the passage of a resolution apologizing for slavery. According to the Associated Press and local ABC affiliate WRIC:
The joint resolution urges that the General Assembly … quote … “hereby atones for the involuntary servitude of Africans” and commits to reconciliation. The group said today it will formally introduce the resolution on the first day of the session, January tenth.
The legislators, who also included Richmonders Donald McEachin and Jennifer McClellan, said that their resolution was intended to foster reconciliation during Virginia’s 400th anniversary celebration this year.
Richmond, Virginia — January 10, 2007
I decided to take Richmond Sunlight out for a trial run this morning and I used it to find the full text of SJ332, Senator Henry Marsh’s resolution apologizing for slavery (Donald McEachin is patron of the same resolution in the House of Delegates).
SJ332: Involuntary servitude of Africans;
General Assembly to atone therefor and call for reconciliation.SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 332
Offered January 10, 2007
Prefiled January 3, 2007Atoning for the involuntary servitude of Africans and calling for reconciliation among all Virginians.
———-
Patron– Marsh
———-
Referred to Committee on Rules
———-WHEREAS, slavery has been documented as a worldwide practice since antiquity, dating back to 3500 B.C. in ancient Mesopotamia; and
WHEREAS, during the course of the infamous Atlantic slave trade, millions of Africans became involuntary immigrants to the New World, and the first African slaves in the North American colonies were brought to Jamestown, in 1619; and
WHEREAS, the Atlantic slave trade was a lucrative enterprise, and African slaves, a prized commodity to support the economic base of plantations in the colonies, were traded for tropical products, manufactured goods, sugar, molasses, and other merchandise; and
WHEREAS, some African captives resisted enslavement by fleeing from slave forts on the West African coast and others mutinied aboard slave trading vessels, cast themselves into the Atlantic Ocean, or risked the cruel retaliation of their masters by running away to seek freedom; and
WHEREAS, although the United States outlawed the transatlantic slave trade in 1808, the domestic slave trade in the colonies and illegal importation continued for several decades; and
WHEREAS, slavery, or the “Peculiar Institution,” in the United States resembled no other form of involuntary servitude, as Africans were captured and sold at auction as chattel, like inanimate property or animals; and
WHEREAS, to prime Africans for slavery, the ethos of the Africans was shattered, they were brutalized, humiliated, dehumanized, and subjected to the indignity of being stripped of their names and heritage, and families were disassembled as husbands and wives, mothers and daughters, and fathers and sons were sold into slavery apart from one another; and
WHEREAS, a series of complex colonial laws were enacted to relegate the status of Africans and their descendants to slavery, in spite of their loyalty, dedication, and service to the country, including heroic and distinguished service in the Civil War; and
WHEREAS, the system of slavery had become entrenched in American history and the social fabric, and the issue of enslaved Africans had to be addressed as a national issue, contributing to the Civil War from 1861 to 1865 and the passage of the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude on December 18, 1865; and
WHEREAS, after emancipation from 246 years of slavery, African Americans soon saw the political, social, and economic gains they made during Reconstruction dissipated by virulent and rabid racism, lynchings, disenfranchisement of African-American voters, Black Codes designed to reimpose the subordination of African Americans, and Jim Crow laws that instituted a rigid system of de jure segregation in virtually all areas of life and that lasted until the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act; and
WHEREAS, throughout their existence in America and even in the decades after the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans have found the struggle to overcome the bitter legacy of slavery long and arduous, and for many African Americans the scars left behind are unbearable, haunting their psyches and clouding their vision of the future and of America’s many attributes; and
WHEREAS, acknowledgment of the crimes and persecution visited upon other peoples during World War II is embraced lest the world forget, yet the very mention of the broken promise of “40 acres and a mule” to former slaves or of the existence of racism today evokes denial from many quarters of any responsibility for the centuries of legally sanctioned deprivation of African Americans of their endowed rights or for contemporary policies that perpetuate the status quo; and
WHEREAS, in 2003, during a trip to Goree Island, Senegal, a former slave port, President George W. Bush stated, “Slavery is one of the greatest crimes of history, and its legacy still vexes the United States … Small men took on the powers and airs of tyrants and masters. Years of unpunished brutality and bullying and rape produced a dullness and hardness of conscience. Christian men and women became blind to the clearest commands of their faith and added hypocrisy to injustice. While physical slavery is dead, the legacy is alive. My nation’s journey toward justice has not been easy, and it is not over. For racial bigotry fed by slavery did not end with slavery or with segregation … and many of the issues that still trouble America have roots in the bitter experience of other times … But however long the journey, our destiny is set: liberty and justice for all”; and
WHEREAS, in the Commonwealth, home to the first African slaves, the vestiges of slavery are ever before African American citizens, from the overt racism of hate groups to the subtle racism encountered when requesting health care, transacting business, buying a home, seeking quality public education and college admission, and enduring pretextual traffic stops and other indignities; and
WHEREAS, European and African nations have apologized for their roles in what history calls the worst holocaust of humankind, the Atlantic Slave Trade, and racial reconciliation is impossible without some acknowledgment of the moral and legal injustices perpetrated upon African Americans; and
WHEREAS, an apology for centuries of brutal dehumanization and injustices cannot erase the past, but confession of the wrongs can speed racial healing and reconciliation and help African American and white citizens confront the ghosts of their collective pasts together; and
WHEREAS, the story of the enslavement of Africans and their descendants, the human carnage, and the dehumanizing atrocities committed during slavery should not be purged from Virginia’s history or discounted; moreover, the faith, perseverance, hope, and endless triumphs of African Americans and their significant contributions to the development of this Commonwealth and the nation should be embraced, celebrated, and retold for generations to come; and
WHEREAS, the perpetual pain, distrust, and bitterness of many African Americans could be assuaged and the principles espoused by the Founding Fathers would be affirmed, and great strides toward unifying all Virginians and inspiring the nation to acquiesce might be accomplished, if on the eve of the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the first permanent English settlement in the New World, the Commonwealth acknowledged and atoned for its pivotal role in the slavery of Africans; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby atone for the involuntary servitude of Africans and call for reconciliation among all Virginians; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate transmit a copy of this resolution to the Secretary of the Commonwealth, the Secretary of Education, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Executive Director of the State Council of Higher Education, the Chancellor of the Virginia Community College System, and the Executive Director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Virginia State Chapter, requesting that they further disseminate copies of this resolution to their respective constituents so that they may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter.
Richmond, Virginia — January 15, 2007
You can visit Donald McEachin online at Richmond Sunlight! If you are interested in following Delegate McEachin’s work during the General Assembly, his Richmond Sunlight page will give you information about his committees, his legislation, and contact information.
From left to right, State Senator Henry Marsh, Congressman Bobby Scott, and State Delegate Don McEachin join Jim Webb and Oliver Hill at Mr. Hill’s home in Richmond, Virginia before the historic rally at Virginia Union University on November 2, 2006
Senator Obama (second from right) arrived moments later and joined the groupRichmond, Virginia — January 15, 2007
Just a quick post looking back at November 2, 2006: what a fantastic day that was for Virginia’s Democrats!
Barack Obama rallies Democrats for Jim WebbIt was fantastic! I’ve never seen a stage filled with so much Democratic talent: Doug Wilder, Henry Marsh, Bobby Scott, Jim Nachman, Mark Warner, Tim Kaine, Barack Obama and, of course, Jim Webb!
Jim Webb delivers his message: leadership and changeThe pictures speak for themselves: an amazing autumn day with amazing candidates and elected officials fighting for justice.
In Memoriam, Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968)
Richmond, Virginia — January 17, 2007
Delegate Donald McEachin’s response.
Delegate Dwight Jones’ response.
Delegate David Englin’s response.
On the House floor, Delegate Frank Hargrove refuses to apologize and accuses Englin of being thin-skinned.
Courtesy of Assembly Access.
Richmond, Virginia — January 17, 2006
Delegate Donald McEachin will be on CNN tonight on Paula Zahn’s show at 8:00 PM.
Richmond, Virginia — January 20, 2006
The Richmond Times Dispatch reports today that Senator Jim Webb, along with Republican John Warner, has reintroduced a measure to authorize $250 million in federal technology grants to minority educational institutions. From the RTD:
“Investing in our historically black colleges and other minority-serving institutions will allow our students to compete with anyone, anywhere in the world,” Webb said in a joint press release with Warner, their first.
Webb’s early re-introduction of this measure proves something that Webb’s supporters knew all along: the fastest way to get additional funds for HBCU’s was to ensure that the Democratic Party regained control of Congress.
Read RTD Washington correspondent Peter Hardin’s coverage here.
Gentle Reader,
Having entered the blogging jungle with my “Gray’s Gazette”, I find that the creature as taken on a life of its own — as a place for commentary on national and global issues, and for exploring the possibility of defining a new Liberalism for the 21st century.
Which is all well and good, but rather more ambitious than I had intended. As the Fabs rightly noted, we all want to change the world, but my more immediate concern is to change my native state.
Thus, this second blog, which aims directly at issues of concern within the Commonwealth of Virginia — and particularly at educational issues, which are my greatest concern.
As with “Gray’s Gazette”, commentary will tend to avoid dealing with politics as a spectator sport. Rather, I will seek to follow Bobby Kennedy’s trumpet-call (quoting George Bernard Shaw) : “Some look at things that are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were and ask, ‘Why not?’ “
Tim Kaine is one of the smartest, best-motivated Virginians to serve as governor in recent history. He’s a serious man whose family traditions, religious convictions, and career experiences have prepared him for leadership in the tradition of progressive statesmen like the Roosevelts and Kennedys. Moreover, unlike his three immediate predecessors, he seems more interested in his present job than in seeking – shall we say – a promotion.
Which makes it particularly unfortunate that Kaine finds himself saddled with a House of Delegates dominated by radical anti-tax Republicans.
Thus far, the Governor’s agenda has emphasized two big-budget items – an ambitious upgrade of Virginia’s transportation network and a proposal for universal pre-kindergarten. As the 2007 legislative session opens, it’s clear that neither of these proposals is apt to receive serious consideration from the House – unless it can be financed without raising new revenues.
Thus, Kaine seems likely to spend 2007 looking forward to November – and hoping for a Democratic sweep as dramatic as those in last year’s Congressional elections. Which is a rather big gamble – and the waste of a perfectly good legislative session.
If Governor Kaine asked my advice, I’d suggest that he accept the futility of pushing big-budget items – at least for this year – and expand his agenda to include imaginative proposals that could accomplish big things without costing big bucks.
The first item on this new agenda would be jump-starting the creation of regional public service academies, sometimes called “commonwealth schools”.
What is a Commonwealth school?
Essentially, a cross between a Governor’s school and VMI – a small, regional, public high school for young men and women considering careers as police officers, firefighters, EMTs, National Guardsmen, etc.
Commonwealth schools were authorized by legislation passed in 2003 and championed by the improbable team of Senator John Edwards, a progressive Democrat, and Delegate Lee Ware, a staunchly conservative Republican. While detailed plans have yet to be developed, I have been personally involved in early discussions of how a Commonwealth school might work. Here’s a brief outline.
To begin with, a Commonwealth school would be small – serving between 400 and 500 cadets in grades 8 - 12. Cadets would be drawn from several adjacent localities. Admission would be competitive, based on solid academics, a capacity for teamwork, an orientation toward public service, and physical fitness appropriate to the demanding careers for which cadets would train.
A Commonwealth school would offer the standard high school core curriculum, taught at a college-prep level – with subtle modifications. For example, foreign language instruction would emphasize spoken fluency in a language commonly encountered on the street in the region served by the school. American History would be expanded to two years, in order to inculcate a stronger sense of the values and traditions cadets would be training to uphold. Physical education would be replaced by four years of intensive PT – including martial arts, climbing, and ropes courses.
A strong internship program would introduce cadets to professional reality. Electives would mainly be professional courses in life-saving, fire-fighting and law enforcement. But the real “elective” would be the unique atmosphere of the Commonwealth school itself.
A Commonwealth School would differ drastically from conventional high schools in its disciplinary expectations. Cadets would observe strict standards of dress and personal grooming. Though no cadet would be under the authority of a fellow cadet, all would be expected to respond to faculty members with respect and unquestioning obedience. Cadets unable to comply with the disciplinary system – or the school’s honor code – would be dismissed to their home schools.
A key element of cadet life would be the division of each grade into teams of twelve. Teams would study together, as well as competing in an intensive program of intramural sports. The highest honors at a Commonwealth school would be team – rather than individual – honors.
The bottom line? Graduates of a Commonwealth school would be prepared for college – immediately or after an initial period of professional or military service. They would be exceptionally fit, disciplined, skilled at teamwork, and possessed of a clear understanding of the words “Duty, Honor, Country”.
Commonwealth schools represent an educational initiative as ambitious as anything Governor Kaine envisions for pre-schoolers – at a fraction of the cost. Since Commonwealth schools would serve only young men and women who would otherwise be attending conventional high schools, the only added costs would be those associated with small schools – costs usually offset by the greater effectiveness of small, focused schools.
Should the Governor put his weight behind this initiative, three or more Commonwealth schools could be open for business before he left office – the vanguard of a network of regional schools providing Virginia with future generations of public-spirited heroes.
If Governor Kaine seeks a legacy, what could be finer than being father to a statewide network of Commonwealth schools?
