A photo from Gov. Ralph Northam’s medical school yearbook shows two men, one in blackface and one in a Ku Klux Klan robe and hood, on the same page as the governor.
The photo, which The Virginian-Pilot obtained a copy of Friday from the Eastern Virginia Medical School library, comes from the 1984 yearbook, the year Northam graduated.
On the half-page set aside for Northam, there is a headshot of him in a jacket and tie, a photo of him in a cowboy hat and boots and a third of him sitting casually on the ground, leaning against a convertible.
The fourth photo on the half-page has two people, one wearing white Ku Klux Klan robes and a hood, the other with his face painted black. The person with the black face is also wearing a white hat, black jacket, white shirt with a bow tie and plaid pants. Both are holding canned drinks.
It’s unclear who the people in costume are.
The governor’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday afternoon.
Under the photo of the men in blackface and the Klan hood are listed Northam’s alma mater, Virginia Military Institute, and his interest: “Pediatrics.” His quote is listed as “There are more old drunks than old doctors in this world so I think I’ll have another beer.”
The photo came to light after a week in which the Democratic governor came under fire for his comments about a bill introduced by a first-term Democratic lawmaker that would have loosened restriction abortions in Virginia.
Conservative news outlet Big League Politics first posted the photo at around 2:15 p.m. Friday with the headline “YEARBOOK: Ralph Northam In Blackface & KKK Photo”.
About an hour later, the Virginia GOP caucus Twitter page tweeted, “@governorva needs to explain this immediately.”
Northam’s comments earlier this week were on a bill that would have loosened restrictions in third-trimester abortions. State law says they are legal — and it doesn’t specify up to what point in the third trimester a woman can have an abortion — but Del. Kathy Tran’s bill would reduce the number of physicians that need to sign off on abortions from three to one.
Well, there are only two options. One, he could resign. Two, he could explain he traded his racism for a pursuit of a baby-killing career.
Don’t expect a liberal uproar; that’s reserved for Republicans that haven’t done anything wrong.
He is proving in 1984 racism was dead, the klan and black could partay together no noose ,no burning cross, no shotgun toting going back over 30 years is this fair you cannot compare the relaxed race relations of 30 years ago with todays tensions.
The Cosby show, different strokes, Sanford and son, the fresh Prince of Belair.