In response to the McAuliffe campaign’s smears against parents who want to have a say in their child’s education – specifically, Fairfax mom Laura Murphy – Black Virginians and parents rejected the McAuliffe campaign’s phony cries of racism and false claims about “banning books” in a press call hosted by the Youngkin campaign.
Youngkin’s call featured:
Kay Cole James, former Fairfax County School Board member, former Virginia State Board of Education member, former Virginia Secretary of Health
AC Cordoza, Republican candidate for 91st House of Delegates seat in Hampton
Joe Mobley, Loudoun County father of four
Tim Parrish, Prince William County Republican Committee Chairman
Kay Cole James stated:
“To me, this is just another opportunity [for McAuliffe] to frame this as a racial issue when it is in fact not. It’s an opportunity for people to try to frame it as someone who’s interested in banning books. It is not. To me, it just shows desperation at this point in the campaign. And I think that the African American community is just far too sophisticated to paint this as a racial issue. We know that this is an issue of parents wanting to have a say in the education of their children. All this [legislation] did was simply give parents the opportunity to know when their children are engaged in books that some may deem controversial, and have the opportunity either for another opportunity for learning or to even engage in discussion with them. And I think that the McAuliffe campaign has mischaracterized of the bills that he vetoed. Neither bill would have allowed parents to veto books or take them off the shelf. That’s not what this is about.And even the Washington Post acknowledges that. I find it interesting that those bills were bipartisan, and they were supported by members of the African American community. This is not a racial issue. … Don’t take your eye off the ball. African American parents want to be involved in their children’s education just as much as anyone else. I want the opportunity to talk to my grandchildren at this point about what they’re reading and learning and school and process that together with them. These were bipartisan bills that should have given parents rights and Terry McAuliffe vetoed them. I think it’s important for us to be very clear about that. Not about race, not about banning books. This is in fact about parents having the opportunity to be involved in their children’s education.”
AC Cordoza stated:
“This is absolutely ridiculous that Terry McAuliffe is attempting to frame this discussion around race when it has absolutely nothing to do with that. I completely agree with what she [Kay Cole James] said: Terry McAuliffe is desperate, he sees that he is losing with the African American community. … To turn this into a race-card thing when so many African American members voted for this bill, and several of them are part of the Black Caucus, it just doesn’t make sense. It’s desperate.”
Joe Mobley stated:
“Terry McAuliffe is seeing that his campaign is coming apart at the seams because he’s peddling two lies all the time: that everyone with an R after their name is a racist or a domestic terrorist, and that the government cares more about your children than you do. Everyone who has kids knows that this is absurd. … We’re not about banning books. But we should have the fundamental right to say, you know what, I don’t want my child exposed to this.”
Tim Parrish stated:
“The Terry McAuliffe campaign is leading a conversation, trying to make it about race, and they should be absolutely ashamed of themselves for using the plight of Black people to prop up their campaign. … Terry McAuliffe in this state right now is calling 14 members of the Black Caucus racist. And he should have to be called out onto the carpet to defend that point. … And this is a conversation that we’re having about kids having a quality education. And Terry McAuliffe thinks that he knows more, the government knows more than every unique family across this great Commonwealth. … This is not about racism. This is about giving our children quality education so that they can be competitive. … A lot of the parents in these in these ads that have have come out and supported Glenn and come out against these books, didn’t even know that the author of this book was Black. They don’t know who the authors are. They’re not going home and saying I don’t want my kids to read books because they’re Black. They’re saying I don’t want my kids to read these books, or be exposed these materials because it’s inappropriate. And every family has a right to make that decision. Every single family has a right to be involved in their child’s education.”
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