Hi friend,
If you’ve seen the news or scrolled through your timeline, you’ve likely heard about the NAACP’s call for the resignation of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam after a racist and problematic photo from his 1984 medical school yearbook surfaced on Friday. The image shows two people in racist costumes: One person is dressed in blackface, and another is wearing a full Ku Klux Klan uniform.
Blackface was not acceptable in 1984 and it’s not acceptable in 2019. Mocking the painful history of hatred and racism endured by black people is never okay and we will not stand for it.
Advocates and followers have flooded our timelines with their expressions of pain and disappointment in seeing these hurtful images. Our families and communities deserve better leadership.
This is why our work matters.
As the largest civil rights organization in the country we have an obligation to hold elected officials accountable for their actions regardless of years passed. Together we can create an America free of discrimination and hatred.
In solidarity,
Derrick Johnson
President and CEO
NAACP
