Virginia: Dem attorney general says he wore blackface at a college party in 1980, deepening state scandal – IOTW Report

Virginia: Dem attorney general says he wore blackface at a college party in 1980, deepening state scandal

 

WTOP: RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia slid 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 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, 57, said in a tweet that he was “deeply, deeply sorry for the pain that I cause with this revelation.”

“Although the shame of that moment has haunted me for decades, and though my disclosure of it now pains me immensely, what I am feeling in no way compares to the betrayal, the shock, and the deep pain that Virginians of color may be feeling,” Herring wrote.

“Where they have deserved to feel heard, respected, understood and honestly represented, I fear my actions have contributed to them being forced to revisit and feel a historical pain that has never been allowed to become history.”

Herring wrote that as an elected official, he has felt an obligation to both acknowledge and address “racial inequities and systemic racism that we know exist in our criminal justice system, in our election processes and in other institutions of power.”

The attorney general issued the statement after rumors of a blackface photo of him had circulated at the Capitol for a day or more. But in his statement, he said nothing about the existence of such a photo.

In the statement, Herring said he and two friends dressed up to look like rappers they listened to, including Kurtis Blow, admitting: “It sounds ridiculous even now writing it.”

“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.”

Asked if Herring should resign, Democratic state Del. Delores McQuinn, an African-American, did not answer directly.  more

h/t JDHasty

23 Comments on Virginia: Dem attorney general says he wore blackface at a college party in 1980, deepening state scandal

  1. I think the way out of this (without working their way down the list to the Commissioner of Dog Catching) is to recall the Governor (10% of the last number of voters in the election on a petition), go before a three panel group of Judges (I think this is the way) who determines whether there is enough evidence to warrant a trial, have a trial before a 12 person jury and if they find him guilty a new election for Governor is held.
    Until then it;s a comedy of Democrats (currently the three stooges but an opportunity for a greater cast).

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  2. Ok so he’s resigned.
    Northam and Fairfax are treading water, hoping even more dirt turns up on the other to take the focus off themselves.
    That’s three strikes….

    Batter up. Fourth in line is a republican. How’s this going to turn out?

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  3. I’m tired of all the people that are to lazy to type in a name so a person can properly respond. That being said, when you load an article watch to see if it opens to a second page. When it does, when you click off the article you’re gonna have an ad. All you have to do is click several times which will take you off the article, away from the ad and off the site. Load the site again and you’ll have four hours before the ad will come up again. Its called ad revenue which helps keep the site up and running. Inconvenient? A little bit but only a liberal wants everything for free with no obstacles. Which are you? (You don’t have to use your real name. Make one up. Might I suggest Whiny One.)

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  4. And the fact the Democrat Party was dressed in white last night should remind everyone that they are the only major political Party in America that has ever elevated those who wore the white robes and hoods to leadership positions within their Party structure and voted them into leadership positions in the House or Senate or had an active Klan presence take over their nominating convention or Hosted a screening of Birth of A Nation in the White House. https://www.history.com/news/kkk-birth-of-a-nation-film

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  5. Florida is breathing a sigh of relief.

    Notice over the years that almost everything weird, perverted or downright disturbing happens in Florida?

    https://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/the-50-most-insane-things-that-happened-in-florida-in-2017

    https://www.ranker.com/list/weird-florida-news-2018/ranker-news

    Anything that has to do with incest, Darwin Award champions, getting amorous with furry creatures, alcohol induced stupidity or redneck ingenuity that ultimately burns down the whole block, you can bet it probably happened in Florida.

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  6. My girlfriend, now wife, and I did blackface for Halloween in 1988. No apology here, they were hilarious costumes, even my black friends laughed.

    Question: What is the State Bird of VA? the black-faced wren? Asking for a friend.

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  7. Only a few days ago, Herring demanded the governor to resign for wearing blackface. Now im sure Herring remembered he himself had worn blackface in the 80s but wagged his finger at the governor figuring no one would know about this indiscretion. 10-1 someone was going to out Herring so he got out in front of the story. But now he looks like a horse’s ass bc he will not resign.

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  8. i dressed up like “The Baseball Furies” from The Warriors movie in 1979 for a halloween party and back then We Liked Beer, We All liked Beer Allot!. and none of my MLB player friends are cryin about that.
    there’s way too many NPC’s in the mix these days. nutin but a bunch of Snow Flakes on continuous meltdown mode 24/7/365

    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080120/

    NPC’s, Come Out N Pla-y-A!

  9. @My My MTV,
    blackface was a thing if you saw the BS of Affirmative Action in action. And it affected you directly. And you saw the ne’er-do-wells capitalizing on it.

    Q: When did Lizzy Warren decide it was to her advantage to claim a false identity??
    (Her 1986 TX Bar App. is one dated document)

    PS My people were slaves for 400 yrs and dug themselves back on top on their own. No victimhood needed or sought.

  10. Blackface was a thing as was dressing in drag. For millenia, before the stone stupidity of PC.

    Costume parties. Mardi Gras. For shits and giggles.

    It does not equate with KKK hoods or scaring the begeezus out of children.
    Is it in bad taste? Does it “offend”?

    Who gets to decide? And who gets to decide for others??

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