Accompanied by her family, Abigail Spanberger was sworn in as Virginia’s first woman governor on Jan. 17. (Photo by Jay Paul)
Seldom have there been so many historic events in a single day on the South Portico steps of the State Capitol.
On the afternoon of Jan. 17, oaths of office were administrated to Jay C. Jones, the state’s first Black attorney general, and Ghazala F. Hashmi, the first Muslim woman and South Asian American elected to statewide office and now lieutenant governor. And then, accompanied by her family, Abigail Spanberger raised her hand before former Virginia Supreme Court Senior Justice William C. Mims, becoming the first woman to take the responsibilities of commonwealth governance.
The Virginia National Guard marked the first moments of her term with a cannon salute and sent two fighter jets roaring across the battleship gray skies. The martial displays carried a sense of message, which Spanberger defined in her inaugural speech as a demonstration of the peaceful transition of power. “It is a cornerstone of our American democratic experiment, a tradition and precedent begun by a Virginian, George Washington, and carried forth every time we celebrate an election and the inauguration of new leaders who will be entrusted to govern and serve — for a time.”
Spanberger related the history that brought her to this place and time, particularly the women who campaigned for their right to vote and then protested for their civil liberties, as well as the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
She referenced, too, Patrick Henry’s inauguration as the first post-Colonial governor, a position he sought to help Washington avert a feared civil war. Henry ran unopposed but nonetheless spoke against divisions opening in the fledgling nation, an appeal Spanberger quoted: “United we stand, divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs.” She repeated his urging, adding: “And it is the charge we must answer again today. I know that the work of perfecting our democracy has never been finished.”
At the end of the festive inaugural parade, the sun emerged and the Norfolk State University Spartan “Legion” Marching Band performed a robust version of the celebratory 1979 Sister Sledge song “We Are Family.”
