Damage done by excusing, ignoring use of blackface

After hearing about the confessions of the Virginia attorney general, and the allegations against the lieutenant governor of Virginia, I too find myself deeply disappointed.

However, I am bothered by people, usually white men, saying “We have all done dumb things in our youth” as though that should excuse these individuals.

I urge people to think about what they would do if they discovered dry rot in the walls of their house. Would they cover it up, deeming the damage too expensive or troublesome to remove and repair, hoping that the rot wouldn’t spread too much during their residency?

Or would they remove the rot damage, salvage what they could to reuse elsewhere if possible and fix the wall properly?

I hope Virginians, and Americans, will take the time, money and pain and properly fix the damage done by systems that have allowed for this rot to exist. — Anke Dosedal, Sunnyvale