“The members of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus (VLBC) thank Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn (D-41st, Springfield) for her transformative leadership and contributions in the Virginia House of Delegates and across the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said VLBC Chairman Lamont Bagby (D-74th, Henrico).
Today, former Speaker of the House of Delegates Eileen Filler-Corn announced that she will not seek re-election. She broke many barriers as the first woman and first person of Jewish faith to serve in the role.
“Eileen has spent a career being a transformative presence in the Commonwealth,” said Virginia House Democratic Caucus Chair Delegate Charniele Herring (D-46th, Alexandria). “Together we rose the ranks of Caucus leadership to break barriers and I was proud to serve as Majority Leader to her Speaker. She was a champion for common sense gun safety reform, transportation transformation, and always an advocate that could be relied on for women’s health. She will be missed in our Caucus and in the halls of the General Assembly. The work she has done will not soon be forgotten.”
“In all of the 20 years that I have served, under many Speakers, Eileen was the most transformative Speaker,” said Delegate Jeion Ward (D-92nd, Hampton). “She came in with an unwavering drive to right the wrongs of the past. She appointed Black women and Black legislators as heads of powerful committees doing things we have never done. Transformative legislation passed through these committees and impacted so many lives across the Commonwealth—on transportation, education, courts, appropriations, technology, labor and commerce (placing labor first). I’ll never forget the time she unapologetically got rid of all the racist statues in the Capitol. She’s got courage, tenacity, and she is bold. Something I have never seen in a Speaker in all my years. I hope people never forget—she safely carried us through COVID. She opened up the legislative process to more constituents across the Commonwealth. People can now testify on legislation from their homes because of her. Everything she did was unprecedented. She’s made deep changes. Eileen was a Commonwealth changer.”
“I am grateful to have served side-by-side with Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn during an unprecedented time as she served as the first female Speaker of the House of Delegates,” said Delegate Delores McQuinn (D-70th, Richmond). “She fought for the betterment of all Virginians and was unrepentant in her selection of African American leaders for important posts.
I wish Speaker Filler-Corn all the best in the next chapter of her life journey.”
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The VLBC is committed to improving the economic, educational, political, and social conditions of African Americans and underrepresented groups in Virginia. A vital part of VLBC’s mission is to raise the consciousness of other groups to the contributions made by African Americans to the Commonwealth and the Nation.