New Alexandria Police Chief; Tributes to Nikki Giovanni; Joint Center Report on Capitol Hill Staff Diversity; Women Against Violence Event in Virginia Beach
🚩 14 days until Dec. 25 🎅🏽 Christmas + Hanukkah and 16 days until Kwanzaa
🚩 23 days until Jan. 3, 2025 the 119th Congress is sworn in.
🚩 28 days until the Virginia General Assembly convenes on Jan. 8, 2025.
🚩 40 days until the MLK Holiday on Jan. 20, 2025.
🚩 40 days until Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, 2025.
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New Alexandria Police Chief Sworn In
The swearing in ceremony for Alexandria’s new Chief of Police, Tarrick McGuire, took place yesterday at the George Washington National Masonic Memorial in Alexandria. McGuire will lead an Alexandria Police Department of about 320 officers.
Continuing Tributes to Nikki Giovanni
Writer Nikki Giovanni died at 81 on Dec. 9th and tributes for the Virginia Tech professor have been heartfelt. The famous author has written the much loved books Nikki Giovanni: Love Poems and A Good Cry: What We Learn from Tears and Laughter and Love Poems was also the the subject of book Conversations with Nikki Giovanni. Her life and work are now being celebrated.
Many tributes have been coming in for writer Nikki Giovanni.
Celebrate Kwanzaa with Women Against Violence and CVUU Social Justice Committee
Women Against Violence (WAV) and the Coastal Virginia Unitarian Universalists (CVUU) Social Justice Committee invite you to join us in celebrating Kwanzaa on Sunday, December 29th, 2024, from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the CVUU, located at 809 South Military Highway, Virginia Beach, VA.
This special event highlights Kwanzaa's fourth principle, Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), and offers an afternoon filled with culture, community, and connection.
Event Highlights Include:
Ujamaa Market featuring local artisans, vendors, and small businesses
Traditional Foods to savor and enjoy
Arts and Crafts Vendors showcasing unique, handmade creations
Guest Speakers and Panel Discussions focused on social justice and community empowerment
This family-friendly celebration honors the rich traditions of Kwanzaa while fostering unity and cooperation within our community.
Event Details:
Date: Sunday, December 29th, 2024, Time: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Location: Coastal Virginia Unitarian Universalists
809 South Military Highway, Virginia Beach, VAMedia Sponsor - New Journal and Guide
Marketing Sponsor - The Hampton Roads Greenbookhttps://www.hrgreenbook.com/event/kwanzaa-event--ujamaa-cooperative-economics-at-ccu.html
For more information, please contact Women Against Violence at 757-466-7077 or email wavsistercircle@gmail.com.
About the Organizers: Women Against Violence (WAV) is dedicated to empowering communities and advocating for change. The Coastal Virginia Unitarian Universalist church (CVUU) Social Justice Committee works to promote equality, justice, and unity in the Coastal Virginia region. The Unitarian Universalist church helped begin Kwanzaa with a grant given to the US Organization, headed by Kwanzaa's founder, Dr. Ron Karenga, in the late 1960s. The grant helped fund the research done to create the Kwanzaa celebration. The New Journal and Guide is a regional weekly newspaper based in Norfolk, Virginia, and serving the Hampton Roads area. The weekly focuses on local and national African-American news, sports, and issues and has been in circulation since 1900. The Hampton Roads Greenbook, a comprehensive directory, available as a free downloadable app and website, that spotlights Black and minority-owned businesses.
McQuinn Kicks Off Re-Election Campaign
Delegate Delores McQuinn lunched her re-election campaign this week. The Henrico Delegate has a primary challenger this cycle, Henrico School Board Chair Alicia Atkins, but Del. McQuinn also has a lot of support from colleagues. They include State Senator Lamont Bagby, Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor and fellow Delegates Destiny LeVere Bolling and Rae Cousins.
Below: Del. McQuinn with Pastor Tyrone Nelson, who is a member of the Henrico County Board of Supervisors.
Photos by Paulette Shipman-Singleton
Gov. Youngkin Proposes $290M for School Construction
Virginia Mercury: Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Tuesday announced that he is asking the legislature for an additional $290 million to support school construction and modernization efforts across Virginia. This latest investment would bring the total funding for the current biennium to $700 million and raise the state’s overall contribution under Youngkin’s administration to nearly $2 billion.
Youngkin’s funding request is included in his proposed budget amendments, which he plans to present next week at a joint meeting of the General Assembly’s money committees.
According to the governor’s office, the state’s financial commitments have spurred an estimated $3.4 billion in total funding for school construction. The additional support would be made possible through a combination of local government contributions and federal matching funds. READ ENTIRE
New Joint Center Report on Diversity and Staffing
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, which many describe as America’s Black think tank, has released another report on diversity — or lack thereof — with regard to staffing on Capitol Hill in Washington. Diversity for senior staff positions in Washington has long been an issue on Capitol Hill. The Joint Center has been focused on the issue for several years and today announced their latest report on diversity. Sections of that report are below.
From the Joint Center: The members of the 119th Congress will achieve historic milestones, but so far they fall short in hiring top staffers who represent America’s diverse racial makeup.
There are 1602 top positions (chiefs of staff, legislative directors, and communications directors) in the personal offices of new and returning members of the 119th Congress. As of Dec. 6, U.S. senators filled 269 top staff positions and U.S. House members filled 1,057, leaving 276 positions to fill.
While the members of the 119th Congress are the most diverse to date, the racial makeup of its top staff does not reflect the diversity of the United States. According to the Joint Center’s midterm hiring campaign microsite, which went live in Nov. 2024 and features several interactive tracking tools, including monitoring top staff hires of all new and returning members, 82.8 percent of the positions have already been filled (1,326 of 1,602) as of Dec. 6, 2024. Of the top staff hired by new and returning members so far, 19.7 percent are people of color, and 5.4 percent are African American. With people of color accounting for 41.1 percent of the U.S. population (African Americans are 13.6 percent), the low percentages are concerning.
“Before the 119th Congress, only three Black women had ever served in the Senate, and never simultaneously. That's set to change in the next Congress when Maryland’s Angela Alsobrooks and Delaware’s Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester are sworn in on January 3. Their victories double the number of Black women elected to the U.S. Senate from two to four. While these milestones are extremely commendable, the diversity within top staff positions across the U.S. Congress still falls short of reflecting the diversity of our nation,” said Dr. LaShonda Brenson, senior and lead researcher on the midterm hiring campaign.
“Only 19.7 percent of congressional top staff are people of color, compared to 41.1 percent of people of color in the U.S. population, which is deeply concerning. Additionally, the number of former staffers who become members of Congress is continuously increasing, which highlights the critical need for diverse top staff to help build a pipeline of candidates who reflect America's diversity. Not only do we need a diverse candidate pool among top staffers, but their perspectives will also help represent the full needs of members' constituents and help eliminate the barriers faced by people of color in this country.”
Newly-Elected House Members
Newly-elected House members have filled 23 out of 195 top staff positions (11.8 percent of the total) as of Dec. 6. Of the roles already filled, the percentage of people of color in top staff roles (17.4 percent) continues to lag behind the national population (41.1 percent people of color), and is lower than the top staff of newly-elected House members in the 118th Congress (23.1 percent people of color), and the top staff of the entire House in 2022 (18.0 percent people of color). One hundred seventy-two top staff positions (88.2 percent of the total) remain to be filled; 92 are Democratic, and 80 are Republican.
Newly-Elected Senators
Newly-elected senators filled 14 out of 36 top staff positions as of Dec. 6. Of the roles already filled, top staffers of color account for 14.3 percent, which is lower than the percentage of top staffers of color in the entire U.S. Senate in Oct. 2023 (15.8 percent) and higher than the hiring by newly-elected senators in the last Congress (8.3 percent). Twenty-two top staff positions (61.1 percent of the total) remain to be filled; nine are Democratic, and 13 are Republican.
Returning House Members
Of the 1,034 top staff positions filled by returning House members, the percentage of top staffers of color (20.4 percent) continues to lag behind the national population (41.1 percent people of color), but is slightly higher than the top staff of the entire House in 2022 (18.0 percent people of color).
House Democrats: Of the 503 positions already filled, people of color account for 34.2 percent of top staff hired by returning House Democrats. By comparison, people of color accounted for 29.5 percent of top staff employed by returning House Democrats of the previous Congress. Forty top staff positions in the personal offices of returning House Democratic members remain to be filled.
House Republicans: Of the 531 positions already filled, people of color account for 7.3 percent of top staff hired by returning House Republicans. By comparison, people of color accounted for 7.6 percent of staff employed by returning House Republicans of the previous Congress. Thirty-three top staff positions in the offices of returning House Republican members remain to be filled.
Diversity Must Be a Priority in Filling the Remaining Spots
Diversity among top staff of the freshmen members of the 119th Congress lags behind the national population (41.1 percent people of color). Further, if none of the 276 remaining open-top staff positions are filled by people of color, racial diversity among top staff of newly-elected and returning members will fall from 20.3 percent to 16.5 percent in the House, and will drop from 17.1 percent to 15.3 percent in the Senate. Newly-elected and returning members must continue to prioritize racial diversity in filling their remaining 245 House and 31 Senate open top staff positions.
*Our analysis reflects the 534 voting members of Congress as of Dec. 6, 2024, not including Florida House District 1. Independent members of Congress are counted with the party they caucus with.
Background
In November, the Joint Center launched its midterm hiring campaign, which includes a microsite featuring interactive tracking tools, reports, an explainer video, coalition letters, and a list of ways concerned citizens and members of Congress can get involved. The microsite allows users to learn how each new and returning member of Congress is faring when it comes to hiring diverse top staff (chiefs of staff, legislative directors, and communications directors) in their Washington, DC office. The Joint Center regularly updates tracker data.
The Joint Center also sent letters signed by nearly 70 national organizations and diversity stakeholders to new and returning members of Congress to advocate for increasing diversity among top and mid-level congressional staffers. To view detailed data on top staff of color hired by newly-elected and returning members, click here. To understand the problem of a lack of Hill staff diversity, why it matters, and solutions, click here.
Dec. 15, 2024 Deadline : Apply to the Ella Baker Youth Leadership Program
State Senator Jennifer Carroll Foy’s office is accepting applications for The Ella Baker Youth Leadership Program - Click here to apply
Six Books of Note
1- Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey (Oct. 2024)
2- When Mayor Doug Wilder Ruled Richmond: Strong-Arm Politics in Virginia's Capital City by Linwoood Norman (Aug. 2024)
3- Rumor, Repression, and Racial Politics: How the Harassment of Black Elected Officials Shaped Post-Civil Rights America (Since 1970: Histories of Contemporary America) by George Derek Musgrove
4- Son of Virginia, A Life in America's Political Arena (2015) by L. Douglas Wilder
5- The New Jim Crow (2010) by Michelle Alexander
6- Remaking Virginia Politics by Paul Goldman (Jan. 2022)
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