NAACP President Calls for Virginia Governor Ralph Northam to Step Down Over Unearthed Blackface Yearbook Photo

The president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has called on Virginia Governor Ralph Northam to resign over a photo on his yearbook page featuring someone in blackface standing next to someone dressed in a KKK uniform. One of the men in the photo is Northam.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson responded to the photos, which were unearthed by Big League Politics, by tweeting, “Black face in any manner is always racist and never okay. No matter the party affiliation, we can not stand for such behavior, which is why the @NAACP is calling for the resignation of Virginia Governor @RalphNortham.”

The Democratic governor said in a statement that he apologizes for appearing in the costume, but signaled that he would not be stepping down.

“Earlier today, a website published a photograph of me from my 1984 medical school yearbook in a costume that is clearly racist and offensive,” Northam said. “I am deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now.”

He added, “I recognize that it will take time and serious effort to heal the damage this conduct has caused. I am ready to do that important work. The first step is to offer my sincerest apology and to state my absolute commitment to living up to the expectations Virginians set for me when they elected me to be their Governor.”

Northam, who recently advocated for infanticide, was also nicknamed “Coonman,” according to another yearbook.

https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1091443678105792514

 

Thanks for sharing!