An Open Letter from Pastor Mathew J. Watts

By: Pastor MJ Watts

As West Virginia stands on the threshold of a new administration under Governor-elect Patrick Morrisey, I feel compelled to share my concerns and reflections with you. In recent days, Mr. Morrisey’s statements about rejecting “woke” ideologies and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, have struck a sensitive nerve with me. He claims these values do not reflect West Virginia’s identity. But I would ask, whose West Virginia is he talking about?

Governor-elect Patrick Morrisey stated: “You’ve heard the word “woke” before. You’ve heard the word DEI before. And those are not, in my mind, West Virginia values. And we’re not going to be an administration that’s going to be advancing those values.” (AP News). Please note that Mr. Morrisey stated; “that in my mind”. It appears that Mr. Morrisey has appointed himself as the Czar of the “Public Lexicon” of acceptable words and ideologies.

For Black West Virginias, diversity, equity, and inclusion are not fringe ideas to be abhorred; instead, they are fundamental principles, that help ensure fairness, opportunity, and justice for all. To dismiss DEI is to dismiss the lived experiences, struggles, and contributions of Black people and other marginalized communities in this state. These are not concepts to be discarded; instead, they are necessary to ensure that we are all seen heard, valued, and included.

When I examine Mr. Morrisey’s transition team, I see no racial or cultural diversity. This causes me to be deeply troubled that the voices of Black West Virginias and others who have historically been excluded from policy discussions will continue to be excluded and ignored. This is not a new story, but it is one we cannot allow to continue unchallenged.

The pain and struggles for many Blacks in West Virginia are palpable. This pain includes high rates of:
poverty, infant and maternal deaths, low academic achievement, school suspensions, disproportion
representation in the child foster care, juvenile justice, and criminal justice systems, health disparities, lower
life expectancies, etc. Mr. Morrissey’s comments suggest that Blacks should be content with suffering and
dying in silence.

To my fellow Black leaders, I pose a simple question: “How can we remain silent in light of the excruciating
pain and suffering of so many of our children and families”?

It is time for us Black leaders to come together, unite, organize, and take action on behalf of our children
and their families. I respectfully encourage and call on our Black community leaders – of Black-led
organizations from the WV State NAACP Conference of Branches, WV Black Policy Initiative, WV African
Methodist Episcopal Zion Diocese, Mountain State Bar Association, WV Black Voters IMPACT Initiative,
WV State Baptist Convention, Beckley Black Pastors, Charleston Black Ministerial Alliance Huntington
Black Pastors, the Divine Nine, and others to come together in solidarity to agree on a shared agenda to
launch and advance a movement for justice, fairness, and equity.

We must meet with our legislative allies and insist on a seat at the table with Governor-elect Morrisey. Here
are some critical commitments must seek from this new administration:

1. Full support for the WV Human Rights Commission – to ensure that discrimination has no place in
   our state.
2. Proper funding for the WV Office on Minority Health – to address the glaring health disparities that
   continue to plague Black communities
3. Proper funding and empowerment of the Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs – so that
   minority voices are included in policy decisions, as the law intended, to address the well document
   disparities.
4. These are not radical demands. They are reasonable and necessary steps toward justice, fairness and
   equity. If Governor-elect Morrisey truly intends to serve all of West Virginia, as he has stated, then he
   must commit to supporting these initiatives. Leadership is not just about serving those who agree with
   you, it is about representing everyone, especially those who have been historically ignored and
   excluded.
5. We cannot allow our values and contributions to be ignored or dismissed. The history of West Virginia
   is rich in the labor, sacrifices, and resilience of Black communities – from the coal mines to the pulpits,
   from the classrooms to the streets where we have fought for our rights. Our diversity is part of West
   Virginia’s cultural quilt and strengths. To reject diversity is to reject the very fabric of our shared history
   and to reject Blacks as equal citizens.
6. Now is the time for unity, cooperation, and collective action among Blacks. Let’s organize, strategize,
   and ensure that this administration hears us and respects us. We deserve nothing less than fairness,
   justice, and equal representation. Together we can demand that West Virginia lives up to the ideas of
   equality and inclusion for all its people and to its motto of “Mountaineers Are Always Free”.
   In solidarity and service,

Pastor Matthew J. Watts