Virginia’s new Governor Glenn Youngkin, a former businessman and now a Republican politician, has had an unconventional start to his gubernatorial term. His policies have raised both concern and support, not only in Virginia, but nationally.
Before taking office, Youngkin was already outlining his views and building platform, establishing himself as an audacious leader. Beginning with a bold move by lifting mask mandates on his first day in office, Youngkin has been struggling to maintain bi-partisan support since the beginning of his candidacy, but he forges on undaunted, nevertheless. In his campaign, the Governor had promised to entrust control of the school system into the hands of parents. Regarding the lifted mandate, he considers masking children as a personal decision to be made by their guardians. “We are reaffirming the rights that we know all parents have,” Youngkin proclaimed. Many see relinquishing public health policy to parents’ discretion as a simply reckless excuse for lifting requirements for COVID protocols. Dismissing those allegations, Youngkin pitches his approach as empowering parents to choose what is best for their families, a promise that had appealed to many Virginian voters during the election process. To justify his mask policy, Youngkin claimed that only a small minority of school districts, 25 out of 130, have publicly vocalized their opposition. However, the Washington Post disputes the number of school districts attacking the ban is actually 58.
“Love your neighbor,” the Governor quoted from the Bible in his attempt to reunify Virginia after the partisan divide which the mask mandate ban had triggered. Despite his calls for peace and unity, intense debate continues. “What makes @GlennYoungkin different from other GOP govs who’ve banned mask mandates is the timing — amid the most infectious variant yet,” tweeted NBC’s Heidi Przybyla, an opponent of Youngkin’s policies.
The newly elected Governor sparked additional controversy after his team villainized Ethan Lynne, a “Virginian. HS Senior. Democrat.” The teen had retweeted a partially erroneous post deploring Youngkin for converting an area in the Virginia Executive Mansion, which was previously used to highlight the history of enslaved people, into a family room. In retaliation, Youngkin’s team posted a picture of the teen with former Democrat governor Ralph Northam next to the infamous medical yearbook photo that had plagued the former Governor’s term. The associated tweet reads: “Here’s a picture of Ethan with a man that had a Blackface/KKK photo in his yearbook.” Youngkin was heavily criticized for his “toxic culture” attack on a minor. In response, the retaliation tweet was deleted within 12 hours and a statement was released by the Governor.
“On Saturday night, an unauthorized tweet came from a campaign account. I regret that this happened, and it shouldn’t have. I have addressed it with my team. We must continue to work to bring Virginians together. There is so much more that unites us than divides us.”
A Youngkin campaign spokesman, Matt Wolking, said they had not realized that Ethan Lynne, a very politically opinionated member of the Democratic party, was not yet an adult. Unsatisfied by what Ethan Lynne considers Youngkin’s “non-apology,” he fired back, “In school, we are taught how to spot bullying, and their tweet last night perfectly fit that description.” Strongly condemning the Governor’s actions, he adds, “It is disgusting, disturbing, and unbecoming of the commonwealth to see the governor and his office stoop this low, especially on a public platform.”
Further sparking intense debate across the nation, Youngkin banned the teaching of certain “divisive concepts,” such as Critical Race Theory in schools. Virginia Republicans are following up by pushing legislation that would define “inherently divisive” instruction as teaching that one race is “inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.” This would consequently eliminate the teaching of these concepts in schools. The Governor also created a tip-line for parents to report teachers whom they feel are not following the new guidelines. What Youngkin plans to do with the information remains unclear. He informed Virginia that he would catalog the reports, but skeptics pointed out that he had still yet to establish a clear course of action. Whether or not he even has the power to take action, punishing reported teachers remains nebulous. Meanwhile, prominent African American figures and activists have been speaking out against the tip-line. “We are parents too,” singer John Legend tweeted, “Black parents need to flood these tip lines with complaints about our history being silenced.” Youngkin, as like many other critics of Critical Race Theory, consider his move to be banning the teaching of racism in schools. “Our Virginia students should not be taught to discriminate on the basis of sex, skin color, or religion, and VDOE policies should certainly not recommend such concepts,” said Governor Youngkin regarding his prohibition of “divisive” concepts.
What comes next in Glenn Youngkin and Virginia’s future remains uncertain. With court cases filed against the Governor still in progress, Virginians know they are in for a politically unconventional four years.
Article written by Huan Changvu of Cabin John Middle School.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images