Virginia Lt. Gov.-elect Winsome Sears on winning hearts, J-O-Bs, and uplifting inner cities

I recently sat down for an interview with Virginia Lt. Gov.-elect Winsome Sears. Here are some standout moments.
Minority conservativism: "I want people to come and ask [minorities] for our vote, to talk to us about the issues. If people always assume that we're Democrats, then they walk on by us. The country loses because we were not part of the process. It is not good for democracy. This is America. We are about freedom. I can be whoever I want.

"If you want to vote a certain way, vote that way. Be bold. Be brave. There are times when we don't put signs in our yards because we're afraid of what the neighbors will say. I understand because I was afraid to put a sign in my yard, but then I said to myself, 'This is crazy. This is what they do in other countries. We're not going down that path.' Other people in America have had to take stands. So, it's your turn now."

Inner-city solutions: "Seventy percent of crimes are committed by young black men. We have the highest abortion rate. Incarceration rates among black people is astronomical compared to the greater population. Denzel Washington said, 'If there are no fathers in the home, the streets become their fathers, the judge becomes their mother, and homes become the prison system.' When it comes to education, if they're bored in school, nobody cares, they're not learning anything, and no opportunities to succeed, society is failing us.