The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus (VLBC) made history Tuesday night, hosting its first-ever Fredericksburg town hall at Shiloh Baptist Church (New Site), where community voices sparked meaningful conversations during a lively Q&A session.
Historically, VLBC regional town hall meetings have been held in Hampton Roads and Richmond. However, VLBC Vice President Del. Joshua Cole (D-Fredericksburg), thought it would be a good idea to host one in the city due to an increase of Black elected officials representing Northern Virginia over the past couple of election cycles.
Cecilia Cain, legislative director of the VLBC, moderated the town hall meeting, opening the floor to the elected officials for introductions at 6 p.m. sharp. Del. Rozia Henson (D-Prince William), Del. Michael Jones (D-Richmond), Cole, and Sen. Aaron Rouse (D-Virginia Beach) shared heartfelt stories about their calls to public service.
“This meeting is very important and will help with the upcoming legislative session in January,” Cain said.
School board members from the City of Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania County and Caroline County were also in attendance. Rev. Jarvis Bailey, chair of the Fredericksburg School Board, expressed gratitude to Cole for his past efforts to secure state funding for FCPS.
In 2021, Cole secured $500,000 for James Monroe High School’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program, followed by an additional $1 million in 2024 for CTE and $7 million for the middle school currently under construction in the Idlewild community.
Vice Chair of the Spotsylvania School Board, Nicole Cole, shared her thoughts on the recent appointments of Clint Mitchell, the county’s first Black superintendent, and Deborah Frazier, the first Black woman on the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors, who was appointed Chief Academic Officer of the school division this past August.
Cole also announced her candidacy for the House of Delegates in the 66th District in the 2025 election.
“African American elected officials are stepping up in the community,” she said. “We are qualified leaders. The community needs to know this, and we also need the community’s support.”
Community members raised concerns about marriage, reproductive, and voting rights, which could change at the federal level under the next presidential administration. Rouse, the chairman of the Privileges and Elections Committee, addressed these concerns.
“We will pass three amendments: one to protect women’s reproductive rights, another to restore voting rights for those who lost them, and, last but not least, an amendment to uphold marriage equality,” he said.
The amendments must be passed by the General Assembly twice — with an election in between — before reaching the ballots in November 2026.
“We have work to do. I’m laser-focused on getting the amendments passed,” Rouse added.
Henson voiced his concerns about abortion rights during the meeting.
“I don’t understand why [the governor’s office] would veto House Bill 609. Women have the right to contraception,” he said. “These are the challenges we’re up against. Women are very scared. Virginia is the only southern state that allows women the right to choose without consequence.”
The VLBC also discussed immigrants’ rights and the measures being taken to uphold them. Jones highlighted the growing Latino population in the 77th District, which has increased to 32%.
“Increasing the minimum wage and funding for education would greatly impact the Latino population,” he said. “A good education would help immigrants learn English, and economic mobility would give them access to resources.
“Latinos are human beings as well; they have a right to exist. The population is growing very fast, and this issue is personal for me.”
The last question posed to the elected officials was: “How should we better regulate and structure law enforcement agencies for our communities?”
Del. Cole recounted that in 2021, he contributed to a budget amendment to increase funding for regional policing academies, “because training is where it all begins to produce qualified and caring officers in our communities,” he said.
He emphasized the need for increased mental health support for police officers and better pay for law enforcement overall.
“These solutions can help build trust between police and community members,” he added.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly attributed the veto of House Bill 609.
