In 2006, pro-immigrant marches mobilized millions of immigrants across the nation, and in Virginia, it was clear that there was a need to empower people to organize and mobilize communities into action. In response to the failure of Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform in 2007, the Board of Directors of Tenants and Workers United founded New Virginia Majority (NVM) to increase civic engagement among new Americans and people of color. Since our founding, NVM has built progressive power through community organizing and leadership development, civic engagement, policy advocacy, and strategic communications with the goal of creating a Virginia that works for all of us, not just a few. As we celebrate 15 years of building progressive power in the state, we are proud of the many milestones and victories we have achieved along the way. We invite you to remember those key moments in our organizational history on page 9.
While centering the leadership and demands of working-class women of color, we have made significant strides to create a Virginia and a new politic that is rooted in the needs and struggles of the Latinx, Black, Asian American Pacific Islander, and youth communities that we organize with all year, not just during the election season. No matter the political party in power or the outcome of an election, our priorities do not change. We remain steadfast in our commitment to building the people power needed to create more equitable political systems that truly work for all of us and advancing policies that address the legacy and ongoing impact of racial and economic injustice in the Commonwealth.
This General Assembly session, we are ready to resist regressive legislative action that threatens the progress we have made to improve the lives of Virginia families. We call on our allies and legislative champions to help us protect and defend against detrimental rollbacks, including funding cuts to public education, policies that make it less safe for LGBTQ+ youth and immigrant communities, efforts to reverse criminal justice reforms and essential reproductive health statutes, measures to curtail tenant protections, attempts to weaken environmental regulations, and restrictions on Virginians’ voting rights.
Enclosed, you will find our 2023 legislative agenda that outlines our legislative priorities, which are the next steps of our Ten Year Vision to create a Virginia that is welcoming to all who call it home.