Toni Morrison's 'Beloved' becomes latest flashpoint in Virginia gubernatorial race
CNN
The latest back-and-forth in the race to be Virginia's next governor is centered on the value of teaching a Toni Morrison novel in commonwealth schools, highlighting Republican Glenn Youngkin's attempt to make the culture wars around education the major issue of the race as Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe accuses him of using a "racist dog whistle."
Youngkin released an ad on Monday that features Laura Murphy, a Fairfax County mother and conservative activist, who spearheaded a campaign against "Beloved," the 1987 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The campaign began after Murphy claimed it gave her son, a high school senior at the time, nightmares. The ad fits into the Youngkin campaign's broader strategy of seeking to pit McAuliffe against parents.
McAuliffe seized on the issue at his Tuesday night rally with President Joe Biden. "This is his closing message. Glenn Youngkin is promoting banning 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."