After visiting the Alleghany/Roanoke Neighborhood Testing Site at Valley View Mall in Roanoke, Va., on Jan. 20, Gov. Glenn Youngkin spoke to reporters at a short news conference.

Glenn Youngkin, the new governor of Virginia, is off to a quick start. He is fighting back against the coercion of progressive mandates and the control of schools, just like he said he would. One of his first moves looks like it could be very good: changing the state’s “range, fairness, and inclusion” workplace to say “alternative” instead of “fairness.”

At a basic level, this change is only symbolic because what really matters is how the workplace will work in real life. However, the symbolism still matters because it shows a big difference in American tradition and politics.

People on the left have given up their long-held support for equal choice in favor of “fairness,” which they say means having the same results. The latter can’t be done because people are different. It’s used to justify bad and polarizing policies that favor some groups over others.

It was first reported that Mr. Youngkin had sent a memo to his staff that told them to work on a variety of things, including financial choice, cooperation between religious groups, and making sure that the history curriculum in Virginia is “truthful, objective, and complete.” The next step is to make sure that critical-race ideas are taught in college, which is what Mr. Youngkin worked for.

Angela Sailor, a member of the Heritage Foundation, was chosen to lead the office by the new Governor. Ms. Sailor, who worked in the George W. Bush administration, could be in the cabinet.

The government can do more to make sure that everyone has the same chance to go to school, for example. They will do more to promote real fairness if Ms. Sailor and Mr. Youngkin make that kind of progress in Virginia. Progressive fairness police will do less for that.

Editorial: The best and worst of Kim Strassel, Mene Ukueberuwa, Mary O’Grady, and Dan Henninger Photographs: AFP. A composite of Mark Kelly.