Last week it seemed as if Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax was next in line to become governor of Virginia. After Governor Ralph Northam admitted to wearing blackface as a student at Eastern Virginia Medical School, it was a foregone conclusion he would have to step down. Fairfax had the perfect image to be the new governor. He was well-educated, he had the right image as a family man, and he was African-American. A black governor would be perfect to help Virginia heal from Northam’s mockery of African Americans. Fairfax even had the image of being a civil rights leader and champion for blacks.
While Virginians like Oliver Hill played key roles in the #CivilRights movement, current figures like our Lt. Gov Justin Fairfax continue to advocate for equality.
Learn how @LGJustinFairfax is continuing the work of past leaders like Hill. https://t.co/ilTBBCrMja pic.twitter.com/EvqcDdfVLb
— American Evolution (@Commemorate2019) January 23, 2019
Virginia played a key role in the civil rights movement in the past and continues to play a role in the push for equality now thanks to these two advocates. Richmond civil rights attorney Oliver Hill fought against racial discrimination and helped end the doctrine of “separate but equal.” He represented students in Farmville, VA in a lawsuit that became one of the five cases decided under Brown V. Board of Education which declared segregation unconstitutional.
Virginia current Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax is building on Hill’s work and protecting the rights of all Virginians.
Apparently, Fairfax’s image was carefully crafted by a public relations firm. The video from American Evolution never gave evidence of Fairfax speaking truth to power on behalf of African Americans. Secondly, a few days ago Meredith Watson accused Fairfax of raping her in 2000 while she and Fairfax were students at Duke University.
Just in: A woman has alleged that Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax raped her in 2000 when they were both students at Duke University, according to a statement from her lawyers.
— NPR (@NPR) February 8, 2019
Watson, along with Scripps College professor Vanessa Tyson, makes the second woman to accuse Fairfax of rape. The parents of Ralph Baker haled from Farmville Virginia and were part of student group represented by Oliver Hill. Baker’s Shock Exchange: How Inner-City Kids From Brooklyn Predicted the Great Recession and the Pain Ahead, chronicled the courage of the Farmville students who spoke truth to power. Meanwhile, Fairfax likes to kiss up to power and prey on the weak. Stop using “Justin Fairfax” and “Farmville Virginia” in a sentence.
