The origins of blackface date back to the minstrel shows of mid-19th century. CNNShutterstock
At a press conference on Saturday, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat, attempted to clarify his role in a 1984 photograph that was said to show him wearing blackface while standing next to a person dressed in a Ku Klux Klan robe.
The apology was, in many ways, worse than the accused offense.
On the previous Friday, Governor Northam admitted to appearing in the offensive photograph that appeared on his 1984 medical school yearbook page. In part, Northam stated he was sorry for “the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now.”
On Saturday, after studying the picture more closely, the Governor contradicted his Friday confession stating that he was not in the photograph.
The Governor seemed to be completely clueless as to the irrelevancy of whether he was in “that particular” photograph. The fact that it took Northam overnight to conclude the photo was not him strongly suggests that he had dressed in blackface on other occasions, and, most likely, had been in the presence of people dressed as Ku Klux Clowns.
In fact, during the press conference, Northam admitted to having worn blackface in the past but attempted to justify it stating it was part of his costume to compete in a Michael Jackson dance contest.
Michael Jackson had many signature fashion statements, from his dazzling white gloves, beautiful Fedora hats, and stunning jackets. The one thing that would not resemble Michael Jackson is blackface.
Jackson was widely suspected to have suffered with the disorder vitiligo, that eliminates pigment from the skin, thereby making it appear to be bleached.
Jackson was suspected to have suffered with the disorder vitiligo, that eliminates pigment from the skin, thereby making it appear to be bleached.Shutterstock
It is difficult to understand how Northam’s blackface of Jackson was anything more than a racist insult, consistent with the origins of that hurtful practice in minstrel shows of mid-19th century.
In fact, the Governor is so clueless about the sensitivity of the subject he was discussing, that for a moment, he seemed to be preparing to Moonwalk in response to a reporter’s question as to whether Northam could still dance.
The Governor was spared further embarrassment, and everyone watching more dismay, when Northam’s wife interrupted him stating, abruptly, that would be inappropriate.
Northam further shared that he would have worn more shoe polish but observed that shoe polish is hard to get off your face.
The Governor attempted to justify his actions by stating that in 1984, wearing blackface was common, even though that was decades after the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education and passage of the Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, Fair Housing Act and many other laws intended to remove the vestiges of racial discrimination from American society.
The staggering wealth gap between non-Hispanic Whites and Blacks has its roots directly in the biased actions of individuals who continue to discriminate against Blacks for the simple reason that within their social and business networks, discrimination is commonplace.
Although many of the most prominent members of the Democratic party have denounced and urged Governor Northam to resign, Northam isn’t the only one who has shoe polish on his hands.
Governor Northam is not the only one with shoe polish on his hands.Shutterstock
Those who helped Northam become Governor, including the Democratic Party of Virginia, his campaign consultants, and former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe (who played a large role in Northam’s election) need to let Virginia voters know if they were aware of Northam’s blackface history and racist background.
This is particularly important for McAuliffe, since he recently indicated his interest to run for President in 2020.
In an interview with McAuliffe, Jake Tapper points out that Northam was further referred to as “Goose, Coon Man,” in his 1981 Virginia Military Institute collage yearbook. Coon is “used as an insulting and contemptuous term for a black person.”
He then asked McAuliffe whether he feels Northam is a racist. McAuliffe stated he has “zero indication of that.” Instead, McAuliffe stated that Northam is a “good, moral, decent man.”
Yet if Northam’s wearing blackface, having the nickname Coon Man, and needing to study a photo overnight to determine whether he is the person in an image standing beside an individual draped in Ku Klux Klan garb, does not offer McAuliffe insight into whether Northam is a racist, what would?
Black households, in particular, that voted strongly for Northam, deserve to know who else around Northam knew what and when. Northam received more than 80 percent of votes in Black neighborhoods.
Having a Northam-type mishap occur at the presidential level could be catastrophic to the Democratic party. Blacks are essential to a Democratic presidential victory, constituting as much as 20 percent of the Democratic electorate.
Getting Governor Northam out of office appears to be a priority for Democratic party leaders. Explaining to Virginia voters, particularly Black voters, how someone with Northam’s unacceptable background could rise so far in the party, should also be a priority.