The photograph, which was obtained by CNN, appears in the 1984 yearbook for Eastern Virginia Medical School. Northam did not say whether he was wearing the KKK outfit or blackface.
The identity of the other individual in the photo is not yet known. The photo appears above Northam’s yearbook quote: “There are more old drunks than old doctors in this world so I think I’ll have another beer.”
After the 1984 photo was released, a photo surfaced of Northam from his 1981 Virginia Military Institute college yearbook. Under the picture and his name, it listed two nicknames — “Goose, Coonman” — in quotes underneath. There was no explanation of the names or the use of Coonman, which can be a racial slur. The context was not explained.
CNN has reached out to Northam’s office for comment on the 1981 photo.
Northam confirmed he was in the medical school yearbook photo, and said in a statement that the costumes were “clearly racist and offensive.”
“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.
“This behavior is not in keeping with who I am today and the values I have fought for throughout my career in the military, in medicine, and in public service. But I want to be clear, I understand how this decision shakes Virginians’ faith in that commitment.”
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.”
Later, in a video posted to his Twitter page, Northam indicated he does not plan to resign despite numerous calls for him to do so from both sides of the aisle. He said he intended to win back the trust of Virginians.
“I am committed to continuing that fight for the remainder of my term,” he said.
Northam, a former pediatric neurosurgeon and Army doctor, won the governorship in 2017.
While Northam has had a strong record on race-related issues and enjoyed broad African-American support during his political career, the photo putting Northam’s political career on the brink also raises his uneasy past with racial issues. It was revealed during Northam’s 2017 campaign that his family had owned slaves, and his alma mater — the Virginia Military Institute — still displays Confederate iconography.
Third trimester abortions are “done in cases where there may be severe deformities. There may be a fetus that’s nonviable. So in this particular example, if a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen,” Northam told Washington radio station WTOP. “The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired. And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.”
Condemnation from both parties
The photo drew immediate reaction from state Republican leaders and Kellyanne Conway, White House counselor to President Donald Trump, as well as progressive leaders.
The head of the NAACP demanded that Northam step down.
US Rep. Denver Riggleman, a Virginia Republican whose district saw the Charlottesville riots turn deadly in 2017, said that Northam owed him an explanation.
Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Jack Wilson and state Sen. Bryce Reeves called for Northam to resign.
“Racism has no place in Virginia,” Wilson said in a statement. “These pictures are wholly inappropriate. If Governor Northam appeared in blackface or dressed in a KKK robe, he should resign immediately.”
The Virginia General Assembly’s Republican leaders — House Speaker Kirk Cox, Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment, House Majority Leader Todd Gilbert and Senate Rules Committee Chairman Ryan T. McDougle — called for “an immediate explanation by the Governor” in a statement.
The photo’s revelation “injures his standing and reputation beyond repair,” the board wrote. “We all act foolishly in our youth. But a college graduate, studying to be a physician, in a state with Virginia’s troubled racial history, should know better than to reduce that history to a callous joke.
“The photograph reveals a lack of adult judgment that is disturbing. It does not erase Northam’s service in the military or his compassion as a physician. It does, however, strongly suggest that he should, for the good of Virginia, step down from its highest office and allow Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax to succeed him.”
Several national Democrats have also called for Northam’s resignation as part of the swift response to the photo from both sides of the aisle. Several Democratic 2020 hopefuls who cheered his 2017 post-Trump win have already come out against him on the politically devastating revelation.
Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, highlighted the photo’s circulation landing on the first day of Black History Month, and argued that Fairfax, who is black, assuming power would help remedy the situation.
Progressive advocacy group MoveOn called for Northam to resign if he appeared in or approved the photo. The comment came before Northam confirmed that he was in the photo.
CNN’s Connor Spielmaker contributed to this report.
Source : Nbcnewyork