Another Top Ranking Virginia Democrat Admits To Wearing Blackface At Party
ZeroHedge.com
Virginia’s Attorney General, Democrat Mark Herring, admitted to wearing blackface at a 1980 college party when he was 19-years-old.
“In 1980, when I was a 19-year-old undergraduate in college, some friends suggested we attend a party dressed like rappers we listened to at the time, like Kurtis Blow, and perform a song,” wrote Herring in a statement.
“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.”
Herring is the third Virginia Democrat to come under fire in the last week – after Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax wasrecently accused of forcing a woman to give him oral sex in 2004.
Current VA Governor, Ralph Northam, came under fire last week after Big League Politics published a picture from his 1984 medical school yearbook page showing two individuals dressed in racist tropes; one wearing blackface, while the other is in a KKK outfit.
Amid calls to resign, Northam admitted dressing in blackface for a Michael Jackson dance competition in his youth.
If Northam, Fairfax and Herring step down, the governor’s chair would fall to the Republican Speaker of the House, Kirk Cox.
https://twitter.com/ArthurSchwartz/status/1093191065526517760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1093191065526517760&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fnews%2F2019-02-06%2Fanother-top-ranking-virginia-democrat-admits-wearing-blackface-party
Virginia Democrats this week:
•1st in power Ralph Northam admits he wore blackface & posed with someone in a KKK robe
•2nd in power Justin Fairfax has a #MeToo scandal
•3rd in power Mark Herring admits he wore blackface
•Kathy Tran pushes bill to murder kids at full term.— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) February 6, 2019
Herring’s full statement:
“The very bright light that is shining on Virginia right now is sparking a painful but, I think we all hope, important conversation. The stakes are high, and our spirits are low.
“I am sure we all have done things at one time or another in our lives that show poor judgment, and worse yet, have caused some level of pain to others. I have a glaring example from my past that I have thought about with deep regret in the many years since, and certainly each time I took a step forward in public service, realizing that my goals and this memory could someday collide and cause pain for people I care about, those who stood with me in the many years since, or those who I hoped to serve while in office.
“In 1980, when I was a 19-year-old undergraduate in college, some friends suggested we attend a party dressed like rappers we listened to at the time, like Kurtis Blow, and perform a song. 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.
“This was a onetime occurrence and I accept full responsibility for my conduct.
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.
“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. 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.
“This conduct is in no way reflective of the man I have become in the nearly 40 years since.
“As a senator and as attorney general, I have felt an obligation to not just acknowledge but work affirmatively to address the racial inequities and systemic racism that we know exist in our criminal justice system, in our election processes, and in other institutions of power. I have long supported efforts to empower communities of color by fighting for access to healthcare, making it easier and simpler to vote, and twice defended the historic re-enfranchisement of former felons before the Supreme Court of Virginia. I have launched efforts to make our criminal justice system more just, fair, and equal by addressing implicit bias in law enforcement, establishing Virginia’s first-ever program to improve re-entry programs in local jails, and pushing efforts to reform the use of cash bail. And I have tried to combat the rise in hate crimes and white supremacist violence that is plaguing our Commonwealth and our country.
“That I have contributed to the pain Virginians have felt this week is the greatest shame I have ever felt. Forgiveness in instances like these is a complicated process, one that necessarily cannot and should not be decided by anyone but those directly affected by the transgressor, should forgiveness be possible or appropriate at all. In the days ahead, honest conversations and discussions will make it clear whether I can or should continue to serve as attorney general, but no matter where we go from here, I will say that from the bottom of my heart, I am deeply, deeply sorry for the pain that I cause with this revelation.