Winsome Earle History Maker By Ras Michael February, 2002: I was going to interview Winsome Earle Sears. She'd just been elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. A few days prior to the expected interview her staff at my request had faxed me some biographical information on the recently elected delegate. I kept looking at the page numbered four on the fax it said she had been born on March 11th, 1964 in Kingston, Jamaica. The ringing of the telephone startled me. I grabbed the instrument and plugged in the earpiece. "Hello!" I said into the mouth piece. "Ras Michael?", said the soft voice that had the unmistakable sound of sunshine and Caribbean rhythm, " this is Winsome Earle Sears." "Hello!" I grinned into the mouth piece. The interview was on. We exchanged compliments and some small talk for a few moments while I reached for my pen and a few sheets of paper. The description of Delegate Sears' nationality was troubling. She had been described as an African American in the fax. Without mentioning this fact to her I asked her how old she'd been when she had migrated to America. "I was six years old." She replied. She went to explain that she had at one point returned to her native Caribbean home and had had some high school tutoring at home. I listened as she explained how it had been been for her a child, to adjust to a new life style, a new culture. She had enjoyed running outdoors bare feet as so many of us were wont to do but now that's over, like so many other cultural pleasures that children enjoy. Yet she was no sad person. Rather she was lively and though living in America for so many years the slight accent still reminded one of mangoes and coconut palm trees on sun splashed sand beaches. We spoke of the Caribbean and migration for I felt that this was very important to most of us. The Delegate was very forthcoming in her views. "Migration was the Caribbean's fault," she said emphatically. If the infrastructure and if education were in place as at the time of Michael Manley then fewer people would have migrated. She felt that it was the adverse conditions at home that drove Caribbean citizens abroad. She also blamed limited opportunities for advancement. As I listened to her I began to perceive a person who was not a politician in the loosely used sense of the word. Rather I sensed a person who was not only concerned but who was convinced and sincere that she could play a role in bringing betterment to the lives of others. Winsome Earle Sears did not hesitate to lay the blame at the feet of local politicians whom she said attempted to keep themselves in power at the expense of the people. She feels that politicians should be accountable to their constituents who elected them. Her own recent history was an example of this philosophy. She had had to run against an incumbent of twenty years and his father's ghost of ten years as she aptly put it in order to be elected to the VA House of Delegates. The democratic incumbent was the same sort of politician she had just described, one who felt he was not accountable to his voters. There seemed at first little chance that an unknown Republican challenger could unseat the incumbent. The disadvantages against her were enormous. Not only was the incumbent serving for twenty years, his father had served for ten before and so he was well known. She was not. Then she had to deal with the fact that her campaign had begun very late and she was without any funds to pursue elections. Add to this the fact that there had been some re-districting in the constituency and there were now more democrats. Winsome Earle Sears did not loose faith. As a matter of fact she had been brought up on faith and she clung strongly to her tenets. It was not until three weeks before the elections that she received any funding for her campaign and then a mere $30,000. The fight was likened to David and Goliath. Not many felt she had a chance to win against the democratic Goliath but she reminded me of a very unique quote that she made. The people saw Goliath and said "How could David possibly win? David saw Goliath and said "How could I possibly miss" She went from door to door. She travelled from church to church. She spoke with the ordinary, the concerned and the common people who normally did not meet their politicians face to face. She saw conditions for herself. She saw the poverty and the degradation, the crime riddled neighborhoods and she saw too the fine living of other neighborhoods. However, this christian soul of Calvary Revival Church whose first political ideas were got from her grandmother persisted and like David triumphed. She now holds responsibility in the Virginia House of Delegates for the appointment of Judges, the levy of taxes and the formulation of public policy. She sees herself as a servant of the people, at the will of the people and intends to set that example. Winsome Earle Sears is the holder of a Marine Corps Good conduct medal, a wife to Terrence Sears and a mother to DeJon, Katia and Janel.Delegate Winsome Earle can be reached by phone at 804-698-1090.