Winsome Sears, the first Black woman elected to the role of Virginia’s lieutenant governor, says things in America are getting better. 

Sears’ victory, alongside Glenn Youngskin, was an upset during the state’s gubernatorial election when Democratic incumbent Terry McAuliffe was beaten. The victory made Sears the first woman and woman of color in the state’s 400-year history to serve in the role, BNC previously reported.  

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Sears will oversee the state Senate and cast votes to break ties held up in the legislature in her role. The Jamaican-born Republican’s stance is different from most political leaders of color as she thinks the United States’ race relations is progressing, according to NPR. “I’m from another country, another culture,” she said. “But here I am. I see racism as one more hurdle in life.”  

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In her campaign materials, Sears shared photos of her carrying a gun. She also said she would do away with critical race theory in Virginia schools. Despite her joining in on the attack of critical race theory, she is also an active philanthropist who once served as the director of a homeless shelter and volunteered with a prison ministry, NPR reported.  

She also thinks the country should move on from its dark past when it comes to race. “Slavery happened, absolutely,” she said. “And there are some vestiges of it. But how long are we going to go back there?”  

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According to NPR, Sears also played into false claims made by former President Donald Trump and other Republican leaders when she said “I guess dead people voted,” in a discussion with the Fairfax GOP.  

She hopes to help win over conservative Black voters and focus her campaign on education, which she believes is the backbone to advancing the country. “America is progressing,” she said. “I’m proof.”