VCC Magazine Fall 2018

The Purpose of a Commonwealth: Senator Howell’s Trip to Southwest and Southside Virginia By Lydia Freeman

If you’ve ever driven through the bustling cities and manicured towns of Northern Virginia, then you know it’s different from driving down the curving roads into a hollow and stepping into a tiny gas station that doubles as a grocery. Fairfax County, Va., is one of the

As a college student, the experience in Danville was transformative for Howell. “I was from an upper middle-class suburban DC neighborhood,” explained Howell. “I was sheltered. When I went down to get Mrs. Carrow out of jail, it totally opened my eyes. It focused me and made me much more interested in politics than I had ever been before because I truly am one of the nonviolent people and want to make nonviolence work, so I felt a responsibility to become engaged.” By leaving the familiar, Howell developed a greater understanding and awareness. She has carried an appreciation for that experience throughout her life. “I want to have a better understanding the difficulties and challenges that people in different parts of Virginia are facing,” said Howell. “They’re so different.We have a thriving economy in Northern Virginia and people are making on average three times what is being made in Southwest and Southside Virginia. We all have serious problems and challenges, but we have to understand each other if we are going to live up to what a commonwealth is.” To Howell, being a part of a commonwealth means having a responsibility across the state to assist each other to make sure everyone’s life is better.

wealthiest counties in Northern Va., not to mention the Commonwealth. The median annual household income runs upwards of $100,000. Senator Janet Howell began representing the county in 1992. But this summer, Howell left Northern Virginia. to take a 10-day trip to the communities of Southwest and Southside. “Well, it started because my husband and I were reading a book called, The Extremes of Virginia . We said to each other, ‘We need to go to these areas because I don’t know them well enough.’ Then I was at a Leadership Arlington breakfast and somebody said to me, ‘Senator Howell, what are you doing to have people in the rest of the state do more for NorthernVirginia?’ I responded that if I understand them better, they might listen to me more. That’s where it started.”

One way that Howell is living up to the ideal of a commonwealth is by collaborating with Republican Will Morefield, a delegate from Southwest. “He spent a day with me explaining things and showing me around,” Howell said. “He was very impressive. We’re going to work together in the future, and we hope he’ll be able to stay a few days. He and I are so different. We’re different ages, different generations; he’s a Republican, I’m a Democrat; we’re from different regions; he’s a man, I’m a woman. There’s really no similarity. But I respect what he’s trying to do, and I want to help him.”

Howell’s trip plans to Southwest and Southside resulted in an editorial in the Roanoke Times with a proposed itinerary, as well as a link to Howell’s email and a request to send her suggestions. “They told everybody to send me ideas, and they did,” said Howell. “Dozens of people. Dozens.We were committed to the trip. Definitely committed. And I mean, I was so overwhelmed by the people. I mean, a couple of people invited us to stay at their homes, complete strangers. We didn’t do that but, I was really touched. So, we started off and we were kind of overcommitted because we tried to do what everyone wanted us to do.” “It was one of the best 10 days I’ve ever had because people were so intent on having me understand and appreciate their lives and their

“I want to make sure that we assist those two regions and we don’t put any barriers up to keep them from succeeding,” continued Howell. “I’m really interested in supporting the collaboration that’s starting down there.” Howell was concerned about these areas of Virginia because of the poverty and the despair that is often associated with them. “And what I discovered that while there is tremendous poverty and despair, there is also a lot of hope, and people are working very hard to succeed,” said Howell. August Wellmeyer authored The Extremes of Virginia , the book that motivated Howell’s trip to Southwest and Southside. Wellmeyer said his target audience was legislators who didn’t live in these areas (including Virginia’s Eastern Shore). “If they didn’t understand these areas and problems that people faced then they’re unlikely to make improvements or take legislative action,” explainedWellmeyer. “Howell is a strong advocate for her district, as she should be, and in planning this trip and the inquiries she made during this trip she showed a desire to act on behalf of the entire Commonwealth,” continuedWellmeyer. “That’s what people in the legislature are elected to do. To look out for the entire Commonwealth.” Lydia Freeman is a teacher at KIPP ENC Public Schools in Gaston, North Carolina where she pushes sixth graders to think deeply and engage with historical, social and political spheres while practicing reading and writing. She writes often, engages deeply in conversation with friends, and strives to live purposefully in her community.

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communities,” continued Howell. “Almost 250 people came out to talk to us in one venue or another. I couldn’t do that in my own district. So, it was great. People went out of their way to talk with me, and they were very, very open and honest about the challenges facing the two regions and also about how hard they’re working to make their communities successful. It was inspiring.” For Howell, one of the most meaningful moments of the trip was in the Southside region of Danville. Howell had been a civil rights worker in Danville in 1963, and she recollected sleeping on pews in High Street Church. “Having been there in the first place changed my life,” Howell said. “It was the first time I saw a rigid segregationist power structure.” Howell described her first trip to Danville. “We were going there to because a college friend of mine’s mother had been arrested,” said Howell. “We were going to get Mrs. Carrow out of jail. And I ended up in a very tense situation. I was even knocked out briefly by some white guys. It was incredible to go back and to talk to some of the African American leaders in Danville. To hear all the progress and also knowing that there’s still a long way to go. But unlike 55 years ago, I think now the community leadership is really trying. They’re pulling together. Trust me, it wasn’t like that then.”

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V irginia C apitol C onnections , F all 2018

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