Northam wants to focus rest of his term on racial equity
RICHMOND, VA. >> Gov. Ralph Northam, in his first interview since a racist photo from his medical school yearbook came to light a week ago, promised to pursue racial reconciliation as he defended his vow to stay in office despite widespread calls for his resignation.
The 59-year-old Democrat said he wants to spend the remaining three years of his term trying to ensure that black Virginians have the same opportunities as whites.
Northam seemed chastened and subdued as he described a week of grappling with what “white privilege” means, with the reality of African-American history and with the personal failing of growing up after desegregation and the civil rights era while somehow not realizing that blackface is offensive.
“It’s been a horrific week for Virginia. A lot of individuals across Virginia have been hurt,” Northam said Saturday morning, seated in the formal front parlor of the 1813 Executive Mansion. Northam’s office restricted the interview to 30 minutes and stipulated that neither the audio nor a full transcript of the interview be released. Otherwise, there were no limitations on what could be asked or published.
He said he is monitoring the situation involving Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, who is denying two sexual assault allegations, but that he has not made any decisions about who he might appoint as a replacement if Fairfax heeded calls to resign.
“It must take tremendous courage for women to step forward and talk about being the victim of sexual assault,” Northam said.
“These allegations are horrific; they need to be taken very seriously. Lt. Gov. Fairfax has suggested and called for an investigation. I strongly support that.”
The governor still contends that he is not in the photograph of one person in blackface and another in KKK robes but could not say how it wound up on his yearbook page, nor why he initially took responsibility for it, other than to say that he was “shocked” when he first saw it on an iPhone the afternoon of Feb. 1.
“I overreacted,” he said, by putting out a statement taking blame for the picture. “If I had it to do over I would step back and take a deep breath.”
He said that an “independent investigation” being conducted by Eastern Virginia Medical School is aimed at clearing up the facts around it.
Richard Cullen, chairman of the McGuireWoods law firm, which has been engaged by the medical school to conduct the investigation, has said that one of his team’s goals will be to determine who is depicted in the photo and how it got on Northam’s yearbook
page.
Looking ahead, Northam said he has asked his Cabinet secretaries to come up with specific proposals to begin addressing issues of inequality, such as expanding access to health care, housing and transportation, and to begin reporting suggestions Monday.
“It’s obvious from what happened this week that we still have a lot of work to do. There are still some very deep wounds in Virginia, and especially in the area of equity,” he said. “There are ongoing inequities to access to things like education, health care, mortgages, capital, entrepreneurship.
“And so this has been a real, I think, an awakening for Virginia. It has really raised the level of awareness for racial issues in Virginia.
“And so we’re ready to learn from our mistakes.”
Northam had been in seclusion all week, using tunnels to shuttle between the mansion and the nearby building, where he has an office. He has met with African-American legislators and faith and community leaders.