How Sweet It Is
Winsome Earle-Sears sent shock waves across Virginia and the country at large when she pulled off her stunning upset victory in November 2021 and became the first woman lieutenant governor of Virginia and the first Black woman, the first naturalized female citizen, and first female veteran elected to state-wide office. She earned intense national coverage because of her unwavering support for Second Amendment rights and her strong commitment to education opportunity for all students. Now in her memoir, How Sweet It Is, Winsome will tell her story and explain how she arrived at that historic moment in time.
A devout Christian, Winsome is also a true believer in the promise of the American Dream. Her father was approved to immigrate to the U.S.A. and left Jamaica, arriving in America on August 11, 1963, with only $1.75 in his pocket. Winsome joined him when she was just six years old, and ever since she has never ceased enthusiastically bucking conventions, defying expectations, and charging straight toward challenges.
Winsome's remarkable story is one of faith and family, personal loss and perseverance, philanthropy and patriotism, service and sacrifice. But through it all, her Christian faith sustained her, drove her, and compelled her to give back to her community and her country. Her unyielding belief in the fundamental righteousness of America stands in stark opposition to the increasingly pervasive ideologies that are dividing the country. In How Sweet It Is, Winsome encourages Americans to never stop fighting for their country and shows them how to chart a new path forward.
Author bio: Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1964. She is a mother, wife, and is proud to have served in the United States Marines. She was also a hard-charging Vice President of the Virginia State Board of Education, and she received presidential appointments to the U.S. Census Bureau, where she co-chaired the African American Committee, and the Advisory Committee on Women Veterans to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
In addition to earning a master's degree in organizational leadership from Regent University, Earle-Sears built a successful business as a trained electrician. She understands the importance of helping small businesses thrive but is most proud of her community work leading a men's prison ministry and serving as director of a women's homeless shelter for The Salvation Army.