WHO HE IS
Rozia A. Henson Jr. is not just making history — he’s using it.
He is a descendant of Reverend Josiah Henson, the abolitionist whose escape from slavery inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and the great x3 nephew of Matthew Henson, the Black explorer who co-discovered the North Pole. He has stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to demand equality and justice. He served as a surrogate for Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. And he is the first openly gay Black man elected to state office in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
But what drives him isn’t the history. It’s the people. He knows what it’s like to go without. He knows what it looks like when parents give everything they have with limited resources and it still isn’t enough. He didn’t run for office for a title — he ran because he believes he can cut through the noise and make life a little easier for the people who deserve better.
EARLY LIFE
Rozia “J.R.” Henson Jr. was born and raised in Woodbridge, Virginia. Born to a teenage mother who raised him alongside his stepfather, Rozia became the second child for the couple. To provide a stable foundation for her children, his mother joined the United States Army. Rozia grew up with two sisters, but over the years his family grew. He is an adopted brother to several siblings of different backgrounds and nationalities, and an uncle to four nephews and two nieces. Rozia’s love for family is at the core of everything he does — and it shows in how he governs.
A VIRGINIAN STORY
Rozia is a product of Prince William and Spotsylvania County schools. In first grade, he faced early learning challenges that could have defined him — instead, they drove him. Determined, he graduated early from Massaponax High School. He went on to earn his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Virginia State University and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland University College.
Before entering public office, he built a career as a PMP-certified federal IT program manager, delivering complex missions for the Department of Homeland Security, FDIC, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Health and Human Services. He understands how systems work — and exactly how they fail the people they’re supposed to serve.
Rozia realized it is his duty and calling to be a voice to those who feel as if they are voiceless. To do the work of ensuring that the underrepresented, marginalized voices are heard and that they feel supported by their local leaders and community. Working alongside constituents to let them know that their vote matters.
At Virginia State, Rozia wrote and defended his unpublished graduation thesis on “Minority Voting During Off-Year Elections.” Highlighting some of the disparities people of color faced because of reduced media coverage and limited communications to constituents. His thesis paper was well received by his student colleagues and professors.
After graduating from Virginia State University in 2016, he returned to Woodbridge, VA, and became an involved and active member of the Prince William County Democratic Committee.
CALLING TO SERVE
While at Virginia State University, Rozia served as a Legislative Aide in 2014 to Senator Henry L. Marsh — the first elected African American mayor of Richmond, Virginia. It was there he witnessed firsthand how a law can change a life, working alongside Senator Marsh on Brendon’s Law — legislation that elevated celebratory gunfire resulting in injury to a felony offense, named for seven-year-old Brendon Mackey who was killed by a stray bullet. That experience lit a fire that never went out.
After graduating in 2016, he returned to Woodbridge and threw himself into community organizing. He became Chair of the Woodbridge Democratic Committee and was elected Senior Vice Chair of the Prince William County Democratic Committee. As a grandson of a union member, the fight for working people was personal — before holding a single elected office, he was already on the front lines fighting for collective bargaining rights for firefighters, police officers, local government employees, and schoolteachers in Prince William County. He also served as the Democratic Party of Virginia’s Voter Protection liaison for PWC and as a Commissioner on the Prince William County Historical Commission, appointed by the Woodbridge District Supervisor.
In 2020, when former Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy stepped down to run for Governor, Rozia ran in the special primary for the seat. He was unsuccessful — but his commitment to the community only deepened. He kept organizing, kept showing up, and kept building. In 2023, he ran again — and won.
DELIVERING IN RICHMOND
Since taking office in January 2024, Delegate Henson has delivered on the promises he made to the people of HD19 — and kept fighting on the ones that aren’t finished yet.
Rozia has been the leading voice in the General Assembly for Virginians still imprisoned for marijuana offenses that are no longer crimes. He introduced legislation to give them a pathway to justice in 2024. He was told no. He came back in 2025. Told no again. He came back in 2026 — and that legislation is now the law of Virginia. Justice delayed is still justice — and Rozia didn’t stop until it arrived.
In his very first session, Delegate Henson got a Republican governor to codify marriage equality into the Code of Virginia — ensuring that all marriages are protected under state law regardless of who you love.
As a grandson of a union member, Rozia has fought for working families from day one. He has championed overtime protections for domestic workers — the nannies, caregivers, and home health aides who have been excluded from basic labor rights for far too long. That fight is ongoing, and he is not backing down. He has pushed to strengthen wage theft protections, expand labor rights, and ensure Virginia’s working families have a real seat at the table.
As Delegate I will:
- Fight to ensure we properly fund education that will enable higher wages for school teachers and staff.
- Invest in English Language Learners (ELL) to support their educational journey. By directing resources towards ELL programs, we can ensure that our students receive the necessary language acquisition support, cultural integration opportunities, and educational resources to thrive in the classroom.
- Introduce legislation to provide necessary tools and resources for schools to achieve their Standards of Quality so that all children can receive a world-class education.
- Implement comprehensive measures that prioritize the safety and well-being of students, teachers, and staff.
Rozia has taken on insurance companies and big pharma to cap what patients pay out of pocket for prescription drugs. He has expanded healthcare access by advancing physician assistant scope of practice reform, putting more providers in the communities that need them most. He has worked to expand access to care for long-term care residents and fought to bridge the healthcare gap for underserved communities across HD19.
Rozia has been a consistent and vocal advocate for reproductive freedom in the Commonwealth. In 2024, he was the chief patron of legislation establishing July as Uterine Fibroids Awareness Month in Virginia — shining a light on a health crisis that disproportionately affects Black women and has gone unaddressed for far too long. He has supported the fight against maternal mortality and stood firm in the belief that every woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions is non-negotiable.
As Delegate I will:
- I will support legislation to invest largely into the housing trust fund, this will allow localities and non-profits to address housing concerns in the area
- Expand the First-Time Homebuyer Assistance Program
- Work to expand tenants rights and eliminate housing discrimination
Rozia passed legislation in 2026 requiring evidence-based mental health awareness training for teachers across the Commonwealth — ensuring every educator is equipped to recognize and respond to students in crisis. He has fought to increase funding for behavioral health centers, expand access to mental health resources in Prince William and Fairfax Counties, and invest in the schools and students who need it most. He also established virtual learning preparedness guidelines for schools across Virginia.
As Delegate I will:
Adequately invest in public transportation. In order to solve one of the biggest infrastructure issues our district faces, we need to increase funding and resources for public transit systems, including buses and trains.
From his early work on Brendon’s Law to his ongoing advocacy alongside Moms Demand Action — for which he holds the Gun Sense Candidate distinction — Rozia has been a consistent voice for common-sense gun safety. He has fought to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous individuals, ban ghost guns, and invest in violence intervention programs in our community.
As Delegate I will:
- Advocate for the transition to clean energy. We need to address and prioritize the ongoing climate crisis in our communities, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the country.
- A moratorium on all fossil-fuel projects and similar fuel projects.
- Switching to 100% clean renewable energy by 2035.
- Strengthening energy efficiency goals in the state
Rozia knows the housing crisis personally — in the early 2000s, his own family was priced out of Prince William County. He has worked to expand homeownership resources, helped create new tools for localities to invest in housing infrastructure for homeowners, and pushed to strengthen tenant rights and eliminate housing discrimination across the Commonwealth.
As Delegate I will:
- Increasing funding to provide rapid and remote access to help.
- Increase funding for mental health services. This includes allocating resources to hire more mental health professionals, improve infrastructure, and enhance treatment programs.
- Increase funding for additional psychiatric beds that meets the demand of the counties providing the service.
- Additional funding for Crisis Receiving Centers.
HD19 sits at the heart of one of Virginia’s most congested corridors. Rozia has worked with VDOT, VRE, and Metro to push for expanded transit options across Northern Virginia, passed legislation to give localities the authority to reduce speed limits in residential areas, and continued to advocate for the infrastructure investments that keep our communities connected and safe.
Rozia is committed to environmental justice and climate action — particularly for the marginalized communities that bear the heaviest burden of environmental harm. He has advocated for clean energy transition, fought to keep Virginia in RGGI, and pushed back against fossil fuel projects that threaten our communities and our future.
Rozia was reelected to a second term in November 2025. The work continues.
The fight for domestic workers’ overtime protections isn’t over. The fight for affordable housing isn’t over. The fight for prescription drug relief, reproductive freedom, gun safety, and a democracy that works for everyone — none of it is over.
Rozia A. Henson Jr. — no games, no noise, just real results for the people.
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