Abigail Spanberger's DEI chief praised mob for destroying American historical statues

Virginia Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger announced this week that Dr. Sesha Joi Moon will serve as the Commonwealth’s next chief diversity officer and director of diversity, equity, and inclusion, drawing renewed attention to past remarks in which Moon celebrated the destruction of a public monument by a crowd.

Spanberger, who takes office on Jan. 17, said Tuesday that Moon’s background made her a strong fit for the role. “I’m excited to announce that Dr. Moon is joining our administration,” Spanberger said in a statement. She added that Moon’s experience across government, education, and the nonprofit sector would help ensure “our work to grow our Commonwealth’s economy keeps the needs of all Virginians in mind.”

Moon previously served as chief impact officer for the Girl Scouts of the USA and has worked as a consultant through her firm, Moon & Associates. She also worked as a “chief brand strategist” for a progressive Democratic candidate currently running for the US Senate in Texas, reports Fox News.

After the appointment was announced, a video clip from 2022 circulated online showing Moon recounting the toppling of a statue in Richmond. In the clip, Moon describes a crowd tearing down a monument and throwing it into the water, portraying the act as justified. “Richmond is the only place where the people brought down the first one,” Moon said. “It wasn’t the politicians, it wasn’t an organization. The people one night got, the ancestors, just took a hold and said ‘we’re done here’ and yanked that joint down and then threw it in the water.”

The statue referenced was of Christopher Columbus. It had been funded decades earlier by roughly 1,000 Italian-American residents of Richmond and was opposed at the time by the Ku Klux Klan, which viewed Columbus as a Catholic outsider, per Manhattan Institute investigative analyst Stu Smith.

Moon, who holds doctorates in public administration and policy and describes herself as a “Black queer woman,” said she was “looking forward to joining the cabinet of Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger as her historic administration works to advance a future in which all Virginians have access to opportunity.”

Earlier this year, Moon defended DEI initiatives during a podcast appearance, saying, “This work has not stopped. You can defund and dismantle all you want, but the work continues.” She added, “I’m excited. I feel like DEI is just getting started.”