Congressman Donald McEachin (D-VA)

Rep. A. Donald McEachin (D-VA) died Nov 28, just weeks after winning reelection to Congress, his office announced. He was 61. Rep. McEachin had represented Virginia’s 4th District, which stretches from Richmond to the North Carolina line, since 2017. Before that, he had served nine years as a state senator and eight as a delegate. A minister and lawyer, Rep. McEachin was the Democratic nominee for state attorney general in 2001, losing to Republican Jerry Kilgore. State Sen. L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) recalled “watching him make history as the first ever African American nominee” for that position. He was only the third African American to represent Virginia in the U.S. House. In Congress, Rep. McEachin was known as an impassioned champion for environmental justice and for policies to mitigate climate change, with keen attention to its uneven impact on disadvantaged or minority communities. In keeping with those priorities, Rep. McEachin had co-founded the United for Climate and Environmental Justice Task Force, while also serving on the House Commerce Committee, Natural Resources Committee and Select Committee on Climate Crisis. He fought as well for preserving historic land and natural beauty, such as the Great Dismal Swamp in southeastern Virginia.