For the past week, Virginia governor Ralph Northam has been under heavy fire for a photo discovered on the governor’s yearbook page from his time at Eastern Virginia Medical School. The picture is facing backlash because it shows two young men standing next to each other, one in blackface and one in a full Ku Klux Klan costume. Northam has gone back and forth with his responses: he initially apologized, then claimed neither of the people pictured was him, then admitted that he had done blackface before, but not in that picture. Despite putting forth these alternate stories, one thing Northam has said that has remained constant is that he will not be resigning from his position as governor of Virginia. However, due to the nature of this scandal and the significant power assigned to Northam’s position, resignation is the only appropriate answer.
When first apologizing for his action, Northam never made it clear whether he was the young man in blackface or the one in the KKK costume. This makes sense from his perspective because there really is no “good” option. Historically, blackface has been used to reinforce the abhorrent stereotypes that black people are lazy, ignorant, or unintelligent by nature. When these prejudices come into play within certain systemically racist American institutions, these seemingly harmless stereotypes can become extremely harmful for black people in America. On the other hand, the Ku Klux Klan is one of the most well-known white supremacy groups in the United States. At its core, the group stands for bigotry and hatred. Even if the boys in the picture were dressed like this “as a joke,” these two images carry with them too much pain and racism to just be written off. People like Northam who use these symbols must face consequences.
After owning up to and apologizing for what he had done, Northam later recanted his previous statement, claiming that neither of the boys shown in the picture was him. While this does clear him of some wrongdoing, it is still not enough to justify him being allowed to maintain his position. The image was part of his yearbook page, which meant that even if he wasn’t in the picture, he still had a personal connection to it. In addition, this picture was from Northam’s medical school yearbook, meaning that he was well past his youth, a stagewhere it might be acceptable to not fully comprehend why something like blackface is offensive.
Many people are opposing calls for his resignation by pointing out all the good things Northam has done for the black community in his state during his time as governor. While it is true that he has implemented some effective policies such as helping to restore the voting rights of felons — which disproportionately affects the black community — this is not reason enough for him to keep his position. There are plenty of other politicians that have neither done blackface nor worn a KKK costume that can and would enact just as, if not more, effective policies.
One might argue that Northam should not resign because neither of the men under him have resigned; his successor, Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, who has been surrounded by sexual assault claims, nor Fairfax’s successor, who admitted to using blackface. However, each of these claims should be handled independent of the others in order to ensure the legitimacy of each case.
Running for public office immediately holds that person up to a higher moral standard than everyone else. If Ralph Northam does not resign, he will be setting a precedent that actions falling below that moral standard will not have to face consequences just because they happened in the past.
