New Flashpoint in Virginia Race: a 1987 Novel

The closely watched governor's race in Virginia is in its final days, and controversy over a Toni Morrison novel is suddenly dominating the conversation. It all revolves around the differing opinions of the candidates—Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin—on how much say parents should have in school curriculums. Coverage:

• The ad: This week, Youngkin released an ad featuring Laura Murphy, who has become something of a conservative activist since launching a campaign against Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Beloved back in 2013, reports CNN.
• The book: The 1987 novel tells the tale of a woman who kills her newborn daughter rather than see the child become enslaved. In 2013, Murphy said the book's graphic scenes gave her teenage son nightmares and pushed for legislation to give parents more say in books chosen by teachers. As governor, McAuliffe vetoed two versions of the so-called Beloved bill.

• Red faces: Murphy doesn't mention Beloved in her ad, but she criticizes McAuliffe for vetoing the bills. "When my son showed me his reading assignment, my heart sunk," she says, per the Washington Post. "It was some of the most explicit material you can imagine." She adds that when she showed certain passages to lawmakers, "their faces turned bright red with embarrassment."
• A counter: In the New York Times, Black columnist Charles Blow notes that the novel does indeed depict graphic sexual violence, but it is, after all, about the institution of slavery. In regard to those embarrassed lawmakers: "When you talk about people's faces turning bright red, Black people know that you are talking about white people; dark-skinned people don't do that," he writes. "For us, it is a subtle way of indicating race without ever having to mention it."
• Racism charges: "There's only one thing that is disgusting and gross here, and it's Glenn Youngkin's newest racist dog whistle," says Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, per NBC News. "Black Virginians know it when they see it and know it when they hear it." A Youngkin spokesperson, however, points out that the legislation vetoed by McAuliffe passed with bipartisan support. The leader of the conservative Heritage Foundation calls the racism charges a sign of Democratic "desperation," adding, "African American parents want to be involved in their children's education just as much as anyone else."
• Campaign issue: How much say parents should have in the schools emerged as a flashpoint in the campaign after a debate in which McAuliffe said he didn't think "parents should be telling schools what they should teach," per CNN. Youngkin has seized on the theme—see his website. At a rally Tuesday, McAuliffe mentioned the ad: "This is his closing message," he said. "Glenn Youngkin is promoting banning [a] book by one of America's most prominent Black authors. Just the fact he is even discussing this brings shame here to the commonwealth of Virginia."

(More Virginia stories.)