This Ain't It: When Black Face Doesn't Lie

By Jada Reid ‘22 and Darielle Matthews ‘22

Ralph Northam, the governor of Virginia, was found guilty of placing a racist, offensive photo of two men, one in a KKK hood, and the other wearing blackface on his 1984 medical school yearbook photo. In his this photo, it is unclear as to which racist costume Northam is exhibiting, but it placed under his name. He refuses to identify which facade he posing as, which only makes matters worse. He publicly apologized; “I am deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt, that decision caused then and now,” he said. “This behavior is not in keeping with who I am today and the values I have fought for throughout my career in the military, in medicine, and in public service. But I want to be clear, I understand how this decision shakes Virginians’ faith in that commitment.” Although he has admitted to these atrocities and has admitted to his wrongdoings, he refuses to hand in his resignation. 

This is a prime example of how white supremacy is strongly prevalent in our government and works to the advantage of maintaining the racist institutions that validate and encourage oppressive white masculinity. It is naive to believe that racism has not permeated throughout our governmental and societal systems, and even throughout our daily lives. This situation is proof of this. The U.S. constitution and other foundational documents and policies that helped develop the United States are deeply racist and were created by founders that not only wanted slavery to persist (and other forms of inequality), but also owned slaves themselves, further indicating how deeply rooted racism is in our society and political groundwork of our country. 

By allowing Governor Northam to remain in office, the United States is upholding racist ideologies that perpetually degrade and mock the black struggle and what it means to be black in America. For a country that prides itself on freedom and justice for all, white people in power continuously prove that they believe minorities are not only inferior but also not worth reparations and equity to even give them the opportunity to gain any sort of power themselves. Governor Northam should be forced to resign as an example of how America is striving to be an all-encompassing place for all people. The United States is not just for the white elites. It is time that the government represents the accepting “melting pot” we claim to be. And to those who claim that he is a changed man from his racist medical school days, if he changed, he would not only say which man he was, he would also make a direct, more public apology, and resign until he gained back the public’s support again.

Works Cited

Vozzella, Laura, et al. “Gov. Ralph Northam Admits He Was in 1984 Yearbook Photo Showing Figures in Blackface, KKK Hood.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 1 Feb. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/va-gov-northams-medical-school-yearbook-page-shows-men-in-blackface-kkk-robe/2019/02/01/517a43ee-265f-11e9-90cd-dedb0c92dc17_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.8f9650004b1.