Sisterhood Spotlight

What was your very first job?

Very first was probably babysitting, first sort of real job was a summer job I had as a secretary working in Richmond public schools in a summer program.

Do you have a favorite childhood memory?

Being the only girl and feeling like a princess because I knew that I had five brothers who would take care of me in any situation. It was difficult not having a sister, but I have fond memories of being the only girl and getting all of the love and attention that came with that.

What is a great piece of advice you were given -- or wish you were given -- when starting your career?

One of the best pieces of advice I got (was) from an old family friend who told me, “Kay, the only difference between a successful person and a failure is that successful people get back up.” He said, “Everybody gets knocked down, but successful people get back up.”

How did taking part in the historic desegregation of Virginia public schools impact your life?

I think it prepared me for future life, in that I knew I had to be excellent at what I did. I knew that I would face opposition along the way, and I did, and I think my sort of feisty personality comes from the fact that since I was in the seventh grade I had to be a fighter and I had to learn how to push back and to be excellent.

On the eve of Juneteenth, what would you like to say to Virginians across the Commonwealth as we celebrate African American freedom, education and achievement?

I see Juneteenth not just as a celebration of the Emancipation of enslaved people. But I see Juneteenth as an extraordinary holiday to celebrate America because the gift that our founders gave us was the founding documents and principles that allow us, when we make mistakes, to correct them and get it right. And so Juneteenth for me is a celebration of America and the fact that we rose to the occasion; we corrected the horrible mistakes we made surrounding enslaving human beings. So, yes we celebrate African American achievement, we celebrate the sort of symbolic end of enslaving people in this country -- but I also celebrate the greatness that is America. And so I think it's a holiday not just for the African American community, but for all of us.

What does "sisterhood" mean to you, and how has it affected your life?

Being raised as the only girl in a family, having a “sisterhood” of friends probably means more to me than most. I have several groups of friends, of sisters, who pray with me, who come when called and needed, who give the encouraging word on down days, who have come over and helped me clean the house because my mother-in-law is coming, who gave me wisdom and advice because they were 10 years older than I was, had been through what I was going through and could be my older sister. Then I have the sisters who are younger than I am, who keep me vibrant, who keep me on the cutting edge and who keep me informed on all the latest in pop culture. So I have younger sisters, I have older sisters; on any given day I am not sure I could make it through without that sisterhood of friends. I encourage every woman to be a part of that, to be an encourager for other women and to let other women into their lives in order to give them unvarnished truth. Having people who are willing to be honest and true and that you feel comfortable sharing your most inner thoughts, your fears, your anxieties, your hopes and your dreams with is so important to being healthy.

About Secretary James

The Honorable Kay Coles James was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, and raised in her early years in Richmond’s housing projects to a single mother in the segregated South. Secretary James was one of the first children to take part in a historic experiment to desegregate Virginia’s all-white schools and later graduated from Hampton University.

She most recently served as the President of the Heritage Foundation, a prominent think tank in Washington, D.C. Her career in public service began on the school board of Fairfax County, Virginia, and continued to the state board of education. Under presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, she was appointed to the National Commission on Children. She served as associate director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and as assistant secretary for public affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the George H.W. Bush administration. Under President George W. Bush, she served as the director of the Office of Personnel Management. Kay also served as Secretary of Health under George Allen where she developed Virginia’s landmark welfare reform.

Secretary James has also worked at senior levels in education and the nonprofit world, as the chief operating officer of a national organization for mentoring programs and the dean of the Robertson School of Government at Regent University. She is the founder of the Gloucester Institute, which offers leadership training to African-American college students and currently the Co-Chair of Governor-Elect Youngkin’s Transition.