See below for video and a transcript from the 2026 End of Session Virginia Legislative Black Caucus press conference yesterday; great stuff!
Del. Cia Price: “Members of the VLBC are not a monolith. We have differing perspectives, but for generations, we have remained united in protecting our freedoms and democracy. Because of the historic nature of the games, tricks, and shenanigans targeted at the communities we serve, fighting for our civil rights has become part of our DNA. And that includes fighting for our right to exist free from fear, our right to vote, and our right to fight back when people come for us.
With this in mind, we passed bills that were long overdue. For instance, we supported Delegate Askew’s House Bill 167, which removes the tax-exempt status for Confederacy-promoting organizations. When we are looking for every way we can to increase revenues because of the terrible budget impacts from the MAGA budget bill, we do not have extra tax dollars to give to organizations that promote the Lost Cause or try to re-energize the hate and division from the past in our present communities. These organizations do have a right to exist, but they do not deserve or need a handout from taxpayer dollars.
And we’re not just talking about taking things away. We are giving too. And we support bills that give time, space, and reverence to historical figures who work to create a more just Commonwealth…commissioning of a portrait of the Honorable Yvonne Miller to be hung in the capitol. She was a true trailblazer. In 1984, she was the first black woman to serve in the House of Delegates. She went on to become the first Black woman in the Senate of Virginia and the first woman to serve as chair of a Senate committee. She worked to open the door for others to follow. And in my lifetime, we have gone from her as the first to 35 Black women having served, including 23 currently serving.
Also, as part of writing past wrongs, we have reversed obstacles to voting imposed on marginalized communities, so we can have truly fair and free elections. Our work on voting rights and ballot access has led to historic election turnout and to our ranking among the top 15 states of ease of voting. Senator Rouse and I, as chairs of the Privileges and Elections committees, are proud of the many bills that passed to strengthen our election systems. We know that trust in our voting system rests on ensuring that only eligible voters vote and that all eligible voters are not prevented from exercising their right. House Bill 972, the Virginia Voter List Maintenance Omnibus, will prevent eligible voters from being purged as occurred under the previous administration. Gone is the day of kicking folks off the voter roles with no records or accountability. This bill ensures that a record is created for any voter whose registration is canceled so errors can be tracked and fixed easily. It raises the confidence needed in the data used to cancel any voters’s registration and it requires notice before any voter registration is canceled, to give them an opportunity to provide proof should they indeed be eligible.
We have also continued our work to protect access to the ballot since trust in our system also rests on all eligible voters having the opportunity to cast their ballots. Senate Bill 438 from Senator Bagby will move the Commonwealth from a patchwork of permissible Sunday voting to Commonwealth-wide Sunday voting on the second and third Sundays immediately preceding all elections. Ensuring that all voters have the chance to vote is key to increasing our voter turnout and ensuring the government is actually representative of those who live, work, and play in our Commonwealth.
And lastly, remembering that our democracy is only 61 years old, we must do all we can to fight back when it’s under attack. Our current reality sounds like it’s straight out of an early 1900’s horror story: fascism, unconstitutional power grabs, wars, lynchings, erasure of Black wealth, and legalized discrimination running rampant. We have gone backwards in so many ways, and I know people feel helpless and don’t know what to do. But because of the work of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and our allies, there IS something you can do. You can vote between now and April 21st to fight back. Yes, what other states does do impacts Virginia. Yes, the federal administration is hellbent on erasing racial progress. Yes, policies are being implemented that do real harm to Black, Brown, and marginalized communities. Yes, they want to make sure it is nearly impossible for the masses to vote with the SAVE Act. Yes, there is an active coverup of evidence that implicates the president in heinous acts. Yes, a former member of the General Assembly is trying to pimp our pain and our struggle to gain favor from a party that can’t stand him. Yes, we have a chance to change Congress to actually do its job. That’s why we need everyone to vote yes by April 21st so we can turn this thing around. Don’t listen to the noise or be fooled by the tricks. Stay focused on our freedoms and our future. Voting yes will give us a real opportunity to level the playing field and protect our communities from further harm. Vote yes.”
…You should ask [Republicans] if they’re doing enough [to fight racism]. We just spent about a half an hour telling you what we’re doing. It is not just the VLBC’s job to fight racism. We invite anyone who wants to be our ally to fight racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, all of the isms that have been put upon our shoulders as the conscience of the General Assembly. But we invite all allies to join, of any party, so that we can finally get to a point where equality and existence free of fear isn’t a reality.”
