Diversity at MGA By: Tariq Thomas

At MGA, diversity is key. As with the General Assembly (GA), MGA is designed to represent the diverse and varied population of Virginia. One of the places that diversity stems from is race and ethnic background. Although inequality and pay gaps are still major problems that must be addressed, the GA is surprisingly representative of the actual population of Virginia. Based on data gathered from both the Secretary of the Commonwealth and the US Census Bureau the percent representation each sex and race in the GA is roughly equivalent to that ethnic groups prevalence in Virginia. Based on the data, the most underrepresented group by the GA is Latinos.

	General Assembly	Population of Virginia
Gender
Male	47.91%	49.2%
Female	45.51%	50.8%
Other/ undisclosed	6.58%	0%
Race
African American	17.98%	18.9%
Asian/Pacific Islander	4.97%	6%
Caucasian	51.32%	63.1%
Latino	3.22%	8.7%
Other/ undisclosed	22.52%	4.3%

This shows that the GA, at least when it comes to race, is relatively diverse and representative of the state of Virginia.

But diversity not only stems race and ethnic background, but also from the different perspectives and worldviews that different people hold. When asked what she was doing to support diversity at MGA, Youth Governor Anna Sexauer stated,

“When I picked my staff I made sure to pick a wide range of people, and not just ideology based but also gender. I wanted as much diversity in my cabinet as I could.[...] I made sure that urban as well as rural areas in Virginia would be covered. That people that have in the past expressed democrat and republican sentiments would be on my cabinet.”

In his speech at the opening joint session, Governor Ralph Northam also emphasized diversity, both of ethnicities and ideas.

“Our society is becoming more diverse by the day and it is that diversity that makes the commonwealth and makes our country as great as it is. And so we must always remember that we need to be inclusive in virginia. It shouldn't matter one's sexual orientation. It shouldn't matter the color of your skin, the country that you come from, or the religion that you practice. We are all gods’ people, and that means that we need to welcome people to the commonwealth of Virginia, our lights need to be on and our doors need to be open.”

When asked about her stance on Mr. Northam’s statements, Ms. Sexauer replied,

“I absolutely agree with his sentiments on that and I think that diversity is what strengthens a community and a society. [...] I think MGA is one of the places, the rarer places that embraces diversity to the fullest and really builds upon it and I think that that is one of the highlights and the strengths of the program, and that it is something that we need to continue.”

Diversity really is crucial to MGA. The point of MGA is to generate thought provoking ideas, reactions, and encounters that will shape a person's worldview. When a bill is proposed, it is not only the bill which is examined. The conditions which necessitate such legislation to be introduced are examined, as well as those conditions that may impact the intended effect of the bill. MGA is a place for people to share ideas, experiences, and beliefs with others in a setting where those concepts are not only listened to but explored, not only conceptualized but examined, and not only debated but understood. As the world grows ever smaller, our understanding of each other must grow to fill the void.

Works Cited

Thomasson, Kelly. “RD542 - Annual Report on the Demographics of Persons Appointed.” Office of the Governor, 2017, rga.lis.virginia.gov/Published/2017/RD542. Accessed 23 March 2018.

U.S. Census Bureau. “ACS Demographic And Housing Estimates.” American FactFinder, factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=CF. Accessed 23 March 2018.