RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Another top Virginia Democrat — Attorney General Mark Herring — admitted Wednesday to putting on blackface in the 1980s, when he was a college student.
Herring issued a statement saying he wore brown makeup and a wig in 1980 to look like a black rapper during a party as a 19-year-old undergraduate at the University of Virginia.
The revelation further roils the top levels of Virginia government. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax are already facing controversies, and Herring would be next in line to be governor after those two men.
In the statement, Herring said he and two friends dressed up to look like rappers they listened to, including Kurtis Blow.
“It sounds ridiculous even now writing it. But because of our ignorance and glib attitudes – and because we did not have an appreciation for the experiences and perspectives of others – we dressed up and put on wigs and brown makeup,” he said.
“That conduct clearly shows that, as a young man, I had a callous and inexcusable lack of awareness and insensitivity to the pain my behavior could inflict on others. It was really a minimization of both people of color, and a minimization of a horrific history I knew well even then.”
Herring, who plans to run for governor in 2021, is among those who have urged Northam to resign as governor after the discovery of a photo of someone in blackface on his 1984 medical school yearbook page. The photo that appeared in Northam’s half-page profile shows someone in black face standing next to another person in a Ku Klux Klan hood and robe.
Fairfax, in line to be governor if Northam were to resign, has been accused of sexual misconduct, which he denies.
Asked if Herring should resign, Democratic state Delegate Delores McQuinn, an African-American, did not answer directly.
“We are going to govern — that’s what our constituents want us to do,” she said.
In condemning the photo from Northam’s yearbook, Herring said last Friday: “The photo, the conduct it captures, and the racist imagery invoked are all indefensible. The photo would be profoundly offensive in any circumstances, but it is also shocking and deeply disappointing to know that it pictures Governor Northam.” He called for Northam to step down the next day, saying “it is no longer possible” for him to lead the state.
Northam admitted at first that he was in the photo without saying which costume he was wearing. A day later, he denied he was in the picture. But he acknowledged he once used shoe polish to blacken his face and look like Michael Jackson at a dance contest in Texas decades ago.
About the Author
What the Hell is wrong with these people? The Dixie-Rats have always accuse others of the things they are guilty of.
Alinsky Politics 101
Looks like the entire executive branch of the Virginia State Government is rotten. Like a fish rotting from the head down. How appropriate that the latest to come out of the black face closet is a Herring!
Bump, Bump, Bump, another one bites the dust…
Bump, Bump, Bump, another one bites the dust…
And another ones gone, another ones gone…
Another one bites the dust!
Bump, bump, bump…
Now it really IS a three-ring circus!
What next? Who next?
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/02/06/shooting-survivor-steve-scalise-dems-gun-control/
These people are a problem.
Talk about Theater of the Extreme Bizarre, this is it.
A real-life Mel; Brooks movie playing out right before our eyes.
And it is absurd that Ralph Northam would put shoe-polish on his face to portray Michael Jackson, when Michael Jackson was getting his skin bleached so he would look white.
Talk about a dude being out of touch with reality.
And that takes us to the Associated Press story “Virginia AG says he wore blackface at college party” on 6 February 2019, where this absurd comedy continues as follows:
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia sank deeper into political turmoil Wednesday when another top Democrat — Attorney General Mark Herring — admitted putting on blackface in the 1980s, when he was a college student.
With Gov. Ralph Northam’s career in extreme peril over a racist photo in his 1984 medical school yearbook, Herring issued a statement saying he wore brown makeup and a wig in 1980 to look like a rapper during a party as a 19-year-old at the University of Virginia.
Herring — who has been among those calling on Northam to resign — said he was “deeply, deeply sorry for the pain that I cause with this revelation.”
end quotes
Now maybe it is cultural or generational, but in all seriousness, what pain is this Herring causing here with this admission of his?
I never had an urge to put shoe polish on my face so I could look black, so it eludes me what the due is talking about here with this “”deeply, deeply sorry for the pain that I cause with this revelation.”
Who even cares?
And that takes us back to the melodrama as follows:
He said that in the days ahead, “honest conversations and discussions will make it clear whether I can or should continue to serve as attorney general.”
end quotes
Oh, really!
Why don’t you just put yourself out of your misery now, dude, and resign?
Which takes us to one of the best lines to surface in this farce, to date, to wit:
Herring made a name for himself nationally by playing a central role in getting Virginia’s ban on gay marriage lifted, and he had been planning to run for governor in 2021.
The chairman of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, Del. Lamont Bagby, said its members need time to process the news about the attorney general: “We’ve got a lot to digest.”
end quotes
Amen to that thought, Lamont!