Meet The Candidate: Princess Blanding For Virginia Governor

VIRGINIA — Virginia residents will be going to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 2 to vote for statewide offices in Virginia, including governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.

As part of our 2021 election coverage, Patch asked each of the candidates to fill out a questionnaire to describe why they think they're the best person to fill the job they're running for.

This questionnaire was completed by Princess Blanding, a veteran educator and community activist who is running for governor of Virginia as the Liberation Party nominee.

In-person early voting began in Virginia on Sept. 17. The last day to request a ballot be mailed to you is Friday, Oct. 22 at 5 p.m. On Nov. 2, election day, the polls across Virginia will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Learn more about Princess Blanding and why she is running for governor of Virginia:

Candidate

Princess Blanding

Age (as of Election Day)

39

Position sought (mayor, city council, school board, etc.)

Governor

Party Affiliation

Liberation Party

Family

3 daughters, Zakara, Tionna, and Leah

Education

Bachelor's degree in Biology, master's degree in K-12 education and supervision, and Ed.S in Educational Leadership

Occupation

Educator, 13 years

Campaign website

www.princessblanding.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

The continuous failures of the two-party system, specifically those of the Democratic Party, is why I decided to run for Governor of Virginia. After my brother Marcus-David Peters was murdered at the hands of the police in 2018, I co-founded Justice and Reformation, an advocacy organization for mental health care, public safety and protection of our most vulnerable communities from police violence. In 2020, I worked closely with Virginia legislators to propose legislation that eventually became the “Marcus Alert” bill. After concessions, the bill that became law was watered down and ineffective and does not protect vulnerable members of our community from fatal encounters with the police. As an activist, I advocate for and elevate the voices and concerns of working-class Virginians and address the inequities in our Black and most marginalized communities. The foundational policies of my campaign prioritize community care, public safety, racial, and economic justice, humanity, and equity. I am a strong believer that we can’t keep begging our oppressors to be our savior because they will not; and we must expand our fight from the streets and into the seats of key elected positions to claim what we all rightfully deserve, equity, humanity and liberation for all.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

As governor I will first and foremost declare a climate emergency. I will use all necessary leverage to ensure that Virginia critically examines its role in the climate crisis and works to slow and reverse our adverse effects on the planet. I will immediately pass the bill to end qualified immunity and I will work diligently and collaboratively with community members across the Commonwealth to prioritize, uplift the voices, needs and concerns of all Virginians. As governor, I will take every needed step to prioritize equity and humanity as this must be reflected in all legislation that comes across my desk.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

The other two candidates are millionaires who are celebrated for their careers in business and political fundraising. They know an awful lot about money and how to maintain wealth, but what about what everyday Virginians are facing? While my competitors have spent their time slinging mud at each other, I prefer to talk to my fellow Virginians about my specific policies and how I will use my elected position to improve their quality of life.

People are tired of hearing the same old rhetoric from these parties while nothing in their day-to-day life changes or gets better. I am the first Black woman and first LGBTQIA+ member to ever make it on the ballot in Virginia. The story of a grassroots activist who fought their way onto the ballot is too powerful for the duopoly; because it empowers other oppressed people to see if I can do it, they can too. They have done everything in their power to silence me this election, which is why I was shut out from the debates. The system is not broken; it is functioning exactly as it was designed to keep people oppressed, to keep us struggling and divided. I am a working class Virginian and the only candidate who will fight to uplift the voices and address the needs and concerns of the working class, our Black and Brown community members and our most marginalized community members. I am the only candidate that will put people over profit and politics to ensure that liberation is a human right, not a privilege for all Virginians.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

We’re continually dealing with politicians who put profit over people, and they keep delivering us crumbs. We're watching performative politics and have legislators who we have entrusted to uplift the voices, needs and concerns of all Virginians, but they continue to take the path of least resistance. Throughout 2020, I worked closely with Virginia legislators to propose legislation that eventually became the “Marcus Alert” bill. Unfortunately, after concessions to please more conservative party members, the bill that became law was watered down, ineffective, and does not protect vulnerable members of our community from fatal encounters with the police. This became a pattern with other legislation Virginians demanded, such as the weakened independent civilian review board bill and the bill to end qualified immunity, which was killed twice within six months. Although the Democrats have the majority in the Virginia House and Senate and a Democrat as governor, it is and has always been very evident that they are only willing to serve the people crumbs while we deserve the full course meal across the board.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

As we are dealing with unprecedented times at the hands of the COVID-19 pandemic it is imperative that we provide tax credits to reimburse businesses for the costs of providing paid family and medical leave to employees unable to work because of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Paid sick leave must be treated as a human right not a privilege, workers rights and protections must be prioritized and protected. As governor I am committed to enacting laws to ensure full-time workers receive three weeks yearly paid time off, and two weeks minimum sick leave.

As governor, I am committed to addressing the concerns, the “why” variables of our unvaccinated community members. I am committed to staying boots on the ground and going into communities across the Commonwealth to not only educate our hesitant community members about the COVID-19 vaccine, but to listen, empathize and build trusting relationships, provide honest and transparent answers and data, and address the misinformation out there through a harm-reduction model. Right now, we are failing to reach the unvaccinated due to our one-size-fits-all, approach which does not acknowledge past traumas or speak to certain communities appropriately. We must meet our community members where they are and ensure pre- and post-vaccination resources and support. By learning from the successes of harm-reduction organizations and the Navajo Nation, we can adapt to the community holistically and address concerns about individual and family health, income, livelihoods and their children’s education.

Vaccine accessibility should be improved through initiatives like pop-up clinics in underserved neighborhoods and ad campaigns humanizing the pandemic that are tailored specifically to the community. Further, these initiatives should have ancillary services specific to the community receiving the services in order to build a trusting relationship. By building a community based public health team, we can divert the conversation on vaccines from a threat to one’s liberty, to a service to one’s community and self.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Whether it’s racial justice, or social justice, or environmental justice, ultimately what we're fighting for in all of our policy stances is equity and humanity. It’s what touches so many community members across the Commonwealth, whether they are Democrat, Republican, or Independent. What we are essentially fighting for when we say “liberation is a human right, not a privilege” is housing for all, food sovereignty, Medicare for All. All of these things are at the bottom of Bloom's Taxonomy to meet our basic needs for survival.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I am not a career politician, I am an impacted Virginian who is determined to claim the full course meal for everyday working class Virginians. I’m a veteran educator who worked as a housekeeper supporting herself and her newborn daughter while in college. I pursued my Master’s Degree in Education and later her Ed.S in Educational Leadership as a single mom. I worked as a public school administrator and have a history of excellence in the field. As a grassroots activist, throughout 2020 I worked closely with prominent members of the Virginia State Senate and House of Delegates to propose legislation like the “Marcus Alert” bill that puts community care and safety first as well as the Civilian Review Board (CRB) bill.

As an activist and future Governor of Virginia, I will work collaboratively with grassroots organizers to ensure that the voices, needs, and concerns of the people, of the oppressed people are not only heard but addressed. Oftentimes the people in positions of power who make key life changing decisions, they are making these decisions and passing legislation from positions of privilege without representation from the impacted people. As a single mother of three amazing daughters, I have had my own struggles with economic insecurity and recall pushing myself through college with my oldest daughter, and receiving notices that my electricity would be cut off. Although I was working, sometimes two to three jobs at a time, I was still struggling to make ends meet and the threat was real, it was scary and this is a reality still for many Virginians.

It is very important to me to empower and support community members and grassroots organizations who are on the ground doing the work every single day. This is how we begin to build our communities up from within. As governor, no legislation about us will go forward without us.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

When you know better, you do better.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

As Governor, I will fight for, protect, and facilitate the power of the working class in Virginia to ensure more equitably shared wealth and power.

Contact information for your local voter registration office can be found at elections.virginia.gov/VRO.

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