Virginia Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy Has a Message: 'If You Want Something Done Well, Let a Woman Do It'
Jennifer Carroll Foy was elected to represent District Two in the Virginia House of Delegates in 2017. Since her election, the former public defender, who was pregnant with twins for most of her race, has used her platform to support women's rights, education, transportation, and Medicaid expansion. This week EMILY's List celebrated her work, nominating her for the Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award. And in the aftermath of rapid-succession scandals—two separate instances of blackface and two serious accusations of sexual assault that have implicated Governor Ralph Northam, Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, and Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring—some would like to see her named to a statewide position.
In the meantime, all three men have declined to step down from their offices, and Foy is content to remain in hers, insofar as it means she can continue to serve her constituents. Here, Foy takes Glamour inside the past two weeks in Virginia politics and explains how the controversies have made her more committed than ever to her legislative priorities and a progressive agenda.
It’s hard to describe what the past week has been like. I’m sad and disappointed. And like a lot of people, I feel shocked too.
On a personal level, it’s like when a friend or a relative has done something egregious. And you know you have to be able to separate your friendship or your personal relationship from what they have done or were alleged to have done. You have to be able to think clearly about what the accusation is. But in this case, it’s not just a personal issue. I represent tens of thousands of people. Their voice is what calls me to action. I have to think about how a situation looks to them, how a situation like this feels for them. That’s the job of someone in public office.
As legislators, we’re here to do the people’s business and move Virginia forward. That’s what’s important, and that’s what people elected us to do. But this situation that we’re in—I’m not just disappointed about what some of our statewide leaders have done or what they’ve been accused of. I’m disappointed that the recent controversies have distracted us in government from the agenda that we want to enact. And I’m determined to separate out these personal faults from our legislative priorities.
It’s easy when you’re a legislator to be distracted by the noise that’s around you. I try my best to be as principled as possible because that’s why voters sent me to Richmond. That’s what I just really try to focus on. This week—and I’ve had to do this three times—I’ve looked at the accusations and said to myself, “If this was an unknown person to me and he was in one of the highest leadership positions in some other state, how would I respond?” When there are allegations of sexual abuse and allegations of racism, we have to condemn them and find it deplorable, whether we find it in Republicans or Democrats. There has to be one standard.
A lot of voters have emailed and called me over the past week. Some people ask for resignation; some people don’t. With blackface, some people said, “Hey, sometimes people are a product of their environment.” And some people said, “This is absolutely inexcusable and the person must go because they are a liability to the party.” So it’s been the complete spectrum. A lot of people who have reached out are people who knocked on doors and volunteered for our statewide ticket. They have fund-raised and donated. They believed in these men as candidates and expected so much more from them. So I hear them and I empathize. And I’ve tried my best to communicate their responses in conversations with our leaders to make sure they understand the full gravity of the situation. They’ve affected real people who believed in them. It’s so much bigger than them.
I do believe that forgiveness is possible. I believe it’s possible to be remorseful. I believe in due process, of course. But I don’t know if apologies or denials are enough for Virginia at this moment. Most of us have, I think, reached the point where we have enough information. At least in the case Lt. Gov. Fairfax, this man is not in a position to continue to lead.
As a black woman, this is a hard situation. You feel betrayed. When a white woman who was the victim of sexual violence came forward against Brett Kavanaugh, it was kind of like a unanimous call for him to withdraw from consideration. He was confirmed, but the Democrats were pretty unified. But when it was a black woman who came forward with allegations against Justin Fairfax, the call has not been as resounding. Some African American women take great offense to that.
At the same time, this is where I see real possibilities for change, because conversations about that dynamic are happening at a magnitude that I cannot remember here in Virginia. Earlier this week a person called me and she said, “Jen, I just want to apologize.” And I said, “Why?” And she said, “As a white woman, I now understand that racism is still here. Some people believe that because we had Barack Obama as president and we have Cory Booker and Kamala Harris in the race for president, we have reached a pivotal point, the worst is over.” And she said, “Now I know we have not. I also suffer from some prejudice, I’m sure. I’ve had conversations about it and I am working to do better.” That she apologized—that’s never happened to me before. So if we can use this as a real opportunity to have candid discussions about race and gender and sexual violence and racism and white privilege, I think that can benefit us when we do come out of this.
We have worked as Democrats to acknowledge the hurt that casual racism can cause. But it’s not just about offensiveness or these racist tropes. We have to connect it back to how racism can hurt our constituents, how sexism harms people. These are not “interpersonal issues.” To me, the best way I can address these scandals is to introduce legislation that works to end some of the structural racism and sexism that holds us back. That’s the role I want to step into.
I talk about the need for Equal Rights Amendment, which is about the end of sex discrimination. It’s about equal pay for equal work. It’s about the wage gap. When I talk about legislation to address black women maternal mortality rates, which are higher in the United States than in most other developed countries, that’s about racism. And that racism is killing black mothers. Wage disparity, protections for the LGBTQ community, programs for the poor, for veterans, and on and on. We call out blackface and discrimination and hate because it affects people’s lives. And the antidote is not just statements, but legislation.
That is my job. That’s what I’m charged to do. That’s my passion. When I see unfairness, inequalities, and injustice, that’s what motivates me.
I have seen some conversation around whether I should have a role in statewide leadership. I feel flattered that people have taken notice of the work I do. It reassures me that I’m doing a good job. Bottom line, I’m here to do whatever Virginia needs to move forward. Whatever the party needs or requires of me, then that’s exactly what I will do.
If this ends with a black woman leading Virginia, that would be incredible. The good news is I think this has proved that Virginia is ready for black women to step into positions of power. I do like to tell people, “If you want something done well and done right, let a woman do it.”
I don’t want people to get disheartened about politics because of this. This whole situation shows me that we need more women to run and more minorities to run. Because even since the 2017 elections, when we elected Democrats and women like me across the state, we have seen less legislation presented that attacks women’s rights or attacks the LGBTQ community. Several years ago, there was a resolution presented that said we should treat the anniversary of Roe v. Wade as a day of tears, in an effort to shame and harass women. We didn’t see that [kind of legislation] this year, and that’s only because when Republicans look on the other side of the aisle, they see all of these women’s faces staring back at them. They know it’s a new day. That won’t be tolerated. Taxpayers’ money and time will not be wasted on this foolishness. That’s because we ran, and we’re here. If you don’t like what you see in your government, come run. Come change it. I have seen the difference a few voices can make.
When there’s real representation, real diversity across the board, we can stand up. We can say, “No more. We’re on a new agenda. We’re moving Virginia forward. We’re going in a different direction."
This interview has been edited and condensed.
