Commentary

Northam Apologies for Racist College Photo

NNPA NEWSWIRE — CBS News reported that it conducted further research, uncovering another page in Northam’s yearbook at the Virginia Military Institute that displays nicknames listed underneath his name, including the word “Coonman,” a known racial slur.

Published

6 years ago

February 2, 2019

Oakland Post

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam apologized Friday for an offensive photo in his 1984 medical school yearbook page.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam released a statement on Friday apologizing for an uncovered racist photo from his 1984 East Virginia Medical School yearbook that depicts him and another man in blackface and in Ku Klux Klan garb.

An accompanying quote under the photo reads: “There are more old drunks than old doctors in this world, so I think I’ll have another beer.”

CBS News reported that it conducted further research, uncovering another page in Northam’s yearbook at the Virginia Military Institute that displays nicknames listed underneath his name, including the word “Coonman,” a known racial slur.

The photo and CBS’ discovery have led some to call for Northam’s resignation.

Democratic presidential candidates Kamala Harris of California and former Obama Administration official Julian Castro as well as NAACP President Derrick Johnson have each called for Northam’s immediate resignation.

Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine also demanded that Northam step aside.

“This causes pain in a state and a country where centuries of racism have already left an open wound,” Kaine said in a statement.

“I hope the governor …. Now takes the time to listen to those he has hurt and reflect on how to move forward,” Kaine said.

The Governor released the following statement:

“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.

“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.

“I recognize that it will take time and serious effort to heal the damage this conduct has caused. I am ready to do that important work. The first step is to offer my sincerest apology and to state my absolute commitment to living up to the expectations Virginians set for me when they elected me to be their Governor.”

Several hours later, Northam posted a video on Twitter saying his previous statement fell “far short of the standard you set for me when you elected me to be your governor” and “I believe you deserve to hear directly from me.”

“That photo, and the racist and offensive attitudes it represents, does not reflect the person I am today, or the way that I have conducted myself as a soldier, a doctor, and a public servant,” Northam said.

“I am deeply sorry. I cannot change the decisions I made, nor can I undo the harm my behavior caused then and today. But I accept responsibility for my past actions, and I am ready to do the hard work of regaining your trust.”

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Activism

Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

6 days ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

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The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.