Conservative activist CJ Pearson argued Friday that White liberals are starting to fear losing their influence over Black Americans, responding to a controversial sign that went viral in Virginia this week.
“This is a sign being held by a white liberal protesting against the black Republican nominee for Governor in Virginia speaking out against boys using the girl’s bathroom,” Pearson wrote on X, quoting a photo posted by the Arlington GOP. The image showed a White woman holding a sign that read: “Hey Winsome, if trans can’t share your bathroom, then Blacks can’t share my water fountain.”
“White liberals are some of the most racist people in the United States,” Pearson added.
The sign, displayed at a protest outside an Arlington County school board meeting, sparked widespread outrage for its racial message. It was directed at Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the GOP nominee for governor, who is Black.
Pearson told Fox News Digital he was not surprised by the attack. “I think the Left has always been unapologetically nasty to Black people who think for themselves,” he said. “They know that courage is contagious. The more Black people start asking questions — like, ‘What have the Democrats done for us lately?’ — the weaker their grip on the Black community becomes, and they lose power.”
Earle-Sears also addressed the issue during an appearance on Fox & Friends Friday, where she discussed the state’s potential loss of federal funding over transgender bathroom policies.
Her Democratic opponent, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, later condemned the sign, calling it “racist, abhorrent and unacceptable.” Earle-Sears, however, criticized that response as insufficient, calling Spanberger “a very weak person who we know cannot lead Virginia as governor.”
Pearson agreed, suggesting Spanberger’s response was politically calculated. “It took time for her to come out and condemn what was objectively racist, objectively vile, because I guess she had to go and ask her consultants whether or not it was okay,” he said.
He contrasted the two candidates directly: “You have Winsome Earle-Sears, who is authentically herself, and you have Abigail Spanberger, who takes her marching orders from a D.C. political class of elites who don’t care about everyday Virginians.”
Pearson also argued there should be greater attention on what he sees as racism on the Left. “It’s good to see her condemn it, but why is this racism cultivated among her supporters? I’d love to hear her answer that,” he said.
On Friday, Spanberger reiterated her position in a post, writing: “As I said yesterday, the sign displayed in Arlington last night was racist and abhorrent. Many Virginians remember the segregated water fountains (and buses and schools and neighborhoods) of Virginia’s recent history.”
She continued: “And no matter the intended purpose or tone, and no matter how much one might find someone else’s beliefs objectionable, to threaten a return of Jim Crow and segregation to a Black woman is unacceptable. Full stop.”
