Governor’s blackface photo
Resisting widespread calls for his resignation, Virginia’s embattled governor yesterday vowed to remain in office after disavowing a blatantly racist photograph that appeared under his name in his 1984 medical school yearbook.
In a tumultuous 24 hours, Governor Ralph Northam posted a video on Twitter on Saturday apologising for the photograph that featured what appeared to be a man in blackface and a second person cloaked in Klu Klux Klan garb. He said that he could not ‘‘undo the harm my behavior caused then and today.’’
But by yesterday, he said he was not in the photo and had apologised a day earlier for ‘‘content’’ that was on his profile page in the yearbook. The governor said he had not seen the photo before the weekend, since he had not purchased the commemorative book or been involved in its preparation more than three decades ago.
‘‘I am not in that photograph,’’ he told reporters gathered at the Executive Mansion in Richmond, calling the shot offensive and horrific.
While talking with reporters, Northam disclosed that he once had used shoe polish to darken his face as part of a Michael Jackson costume he fashioned for a 1984 dance contest in Texas when he was in the US Army. Northam said he regrets that he didn’t understand ‘‘the harmful legacy of an action like that.’’
His refusal to step down could signal a potentially long and bruising fight between Northam and his former supporters.
Shortly after he spoke, Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez issued a statement calling on the governor to step aside. Since Saturday, groups calling for his resignation included the Virginia Democratic Party and the state House Democratic Caucus. Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring and top Republicans in the Virginia General Assembly also urged him to resign, as have many declared and potential Democratic presidential candidates.
‘‘His past and recent actions have led to pain and a loss of trust with Virginians. He is no longer the best person to lead our state,’’ the Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus said in a statement.
If Northam does resign, Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax would become the second African-American governor in the state’s history. In a statement, Fairfax said the state needs leaders who can unite people, but he stopped short of calling for Northam’s departure. Referring to Northam, Fairfax said he ‘‘cannot condone actions from his past’’ that at least ‘‘suggest a comfort with Virginia’s darker history of white supremacy, racial stereotyping and intimidation.’’
Northam conceded yesterday that people might have difficulty believing his shifting statements.
Northam was pushed repeatedly by reporters to explain why he issued an apology on Saturday if he wasn’t in the photograph.
‘‘My first intention ... was to reach out and apologise,’’ he said, adding that he recognised that people would be offended by the photo. But after studying the picture and consulting with classmates, ‘‘I am convinced that is not my picture.’’
Walt Broadnax, one of two black students who graduated from Eastern Virginia Medical School with Northam, said by phone yesterday he also didn’t buy the class’s 1984 yearbook or see it until decades after it was published.
Broadnax defended his former classmate and said he’s not a racist, adding that the school would not have tolerated someone going to a party in blackface.
It remained unclear whether Northam’s remarks would calm the torrent of criticism that threatens to undermine his administration.
The yearbook images were first published on Saturday afternoon by the conservative news outlet Big League Politics.