Friend, in a moment I’m going to ask you to chip in $10 to this historic campaign. But first, I want to tell you why I became one of the first women to graduate from Virginia Military Institute.

It wasn’t until Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg led the Supreme Court in allowing women to enroll in the Virginia Military Institute that I realized the extent that gender discrimination was holding me back.

I hadn’t realized that there were colleges I couldn’t attend solely because I was a woman. And as my classmates heard the news, they reinforced this realization. They told me women shouldn’t be allowed to go to VMI because we were biologically, mentally, and physically inferior. They said that women were just a distraction to men. 

That decided it. I was just as strong, as powerful, as capable as any man in that classroom -- so I applied, got in, and enrolled.

Now, I’m running for Governor of Virginia to continue this fight for equality, representation, and justice -- will you chip in $10 or more to elect Virginia’s first woman Governor and the first Black woman Governor in the nation?

When I arrived at VMI, I was given a men’s uniform. I was surrounded by those who doubted me -- but I proved them wrong and became one of the first Black women to graduate. 

I sacrificed my safety, my time, and my college experience to put myself on the line for equality. That’s why I know that I’m ready to lead Virginia into a new era -- but I need you with me.

Just like then, there are plenty of people doubting my capabilities. But I know that together, we can create a Virginia that works for everyone -- where no one is assumed to be inferior because of their race or gender. If you’re with me, I need you to chip in whatever you can and show the world that we aren’t taking “no” for an answer anymore.

Let’s do this,
Jennifer Carroll Foy