Ep 47: Del. Jay Jones: The Consequences of Racism and Blackface

Let's be real, when the Virginia Blackface scandal swept around the world, all kinds of people were silent, outraged and flabbergasted. Meanwhile, Black legislators in the Virginia House of Delegates were provided the opportunity to speak at each session, ya know because it was Black History Month. It didn't get real on the floor until February 22nd when Freshman Delegate Jay Jones made the tough decision to "Take it to the house," Join us to find out why Jay chose not to dodge the uncomfortable and necessary race conversation (2:02), the two Virginia he sees (3:39) and why millennials are not lining up for public service (20:45). Jay digs into the personal experiences of his father, a former state legislator (5:57) and grandparents in a segregated Virginia (8:40). He tells why he is no stranger to code switching (14:30) and the struggles attached to the  perception of not being black enough or black at all (11:45). Jay leaves us with nuggets on why the 2020 census and these conversations are important for everyone (24:31). 

 

From the Pod:

Del. Jay Jones's Speech