Women & Politics with Cia Price and Lashrecse Aird

Delegate Cia Price – 85th District House of Delegates

Marcia, affectionately known as “Cia”, was born and raised on the Peninsula in the District she now serves. Del. Price worked as a special assistant in the Virginia Liaison Office under then Governor Mark Warner and as a state coordinator for the NAACP This Is My Vote! Campaign for voter registration, education, and mobilization. After what was supposed to be a month long internship at a dental office, she enjoyed an almost 10 year career of dental office administration and management because she was passionate about helping people get the care that they needed. In September 2016, she worked to start Virginia Black Leadership Organizing Collaborative (VA BLOC), a non-profit focused on “building empowered communities” through integrated voter engagement, civic involvement, and leadership development, where she serves as Director.

On November 7, 2023, Del. Price was reelected for her fifth term to represent the new 85th District in the Virginia House of Delegates. She is the chief sponsor of the Voting Rights Act of Virginia (2021) and works for voting rights, housing justices, and gun violence prevention, among other issues. She currently serves on the Health and Human Services Committee and is Chair for the Health Professions Subcommittee and a member of the Health Subcommittee. On the General Laws Committee, she serves on the ABC/Gaming Subcommittee and the Housing/Consumer Protections Subcommittee.

And she is the first Black woman to serve as Chair of the House Privileges and Elections Committee, which is the longest continuously running legislative committee in the nation.

Senator Lashrecse Aird –

Lashrecse D. Aird is a mother of school-age boys, a wife and working families’ champion. Sworn in to the state Senate in 2024, she previously served three terms (2016-2022) in the Virginia House of Delegates where she held the distinction as the youngest woman ever elected to that body. The daughter of young working-class parents, Lashrecse grew up experiencing first hand the harsh reality of income inequality. Her unique perspective and family history has driven her legislative advocacy, earning her a reputation as a courageous and indefatigable champion for social, racial, economic and environmental justice issues.

An effective coalition builder, Lashrecse Aird has been recognized by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, repeatedly, for her work to incentivize job creation in distressed communities.  She was named Legislator of the Year in 2021 by the Virginia Education Association in recognition of her bold education legislation.

Lashrecse Aird helped Virginia make history with the passage of Breonna’s Law, prohibiting the use of no-knock search warrants. Her legislation also led Virginia to become the first southern state to declare racism a public health crisis, to declare access to water a human right, and to make Virginia a leading state in combating maternal and infant mortality.

From Virginia State University, she has earned her undergraduate degree and was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Political Leadership Program, and a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Minority Political Leadership Institute.

A tireless and trusted community leader, Lashrecse Aird is actively engaged in numerous civic boards and organizations. She is the Virginia State Social Action Coordinator for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She serves on the boards for Chippenham Johnston-Willis Hospital, the Sorensen Political Leadership Institute, Sports Backers, and the Virginia League of Planned Parenthood. She is also a member of the Petersburg Lunch Rotary and the Responsible Leaders Network for the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt. She is the immediate past chair of the Fourth Congressional District Committee for the Democratic Party of Virginia.

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