Blackface and Sexual Assault Scandals Rock Virginia Democrats, Reports Reuters

By Gary Robertson

RICHMOND, Va. (Reuters) – Virginia’s attorney general publicly acknowledged on Wednesday that he wore blackface at a college party, marking him as the third high-ranking Democrat in the state embroiled in scandal since a controversial photo surfaced from Governor Ralph Northam’s medical school yearbook.

Attorney General Mark Herring stated that he had used brown face paint to impersonate a rapper at a party in 1980. Northam revealed last weekend that he had also worn blackface in 1984 while impersonating Michael Jackson.

The Democratic Party has been increasingly focused on enhancing diversity and addressing patterns of sexual misconduct within various American institutions. In light of this, Northam’s admission led to swift calls for his resignation from fellow Virginia Democrats and national political figures, including several 2020 presidential candidates.

The situation escalated with accusations against Democratic Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, who is black and would succeed Northam if he were to resign. A woman named Vanessa Tyson publicly accused Fairfax of sexually assaulting her during the Democratic National Convention in 2004.

Tyson claimed that Fairfax forced her to perform oral sex on him in a hotel room. In her statement, she expressed disbelief that he could perceive the act as consensual given her clear distress. The law firm representing her did not provide immediate comments on requests for further information.

Fairfax responded by asserting the encounter was consensual and expressed that he wished no harm or humiliation upon Tyson, while denying the accuracy of her description of events.

Allegations of racism and sexual misconduct have led to significant consequences for elected officials from both parties. Recently, Florida’s Republican Secretary of State resigned after a photograph of him in blackface from a 2005 costume party surfaced. Additionally, Democratic U.S. Senator Al Franken stepped down in 2017 following accusations of sexual misconduct.

Herring, who, like Northam, is white and second in line to succeed the governorship after Fairfax, had previously called for Northam’s resignation. On Wednesday, he acknowledged that his actions showed poor judgment and stated he recognized the insensitivity of his behavior.

"I had a callous and inexcusable lack of awareness and insensitivity to the pain my behavior could inflict on others," he remarked.

The recent allegations have created turmoil within the Democratic leadership of Virginia, a critical swing state in the upcoming presidential campaign.

"I’m still processing it myself," said Monique Alcala, president of the state party’s Latino caucus, in a phone interview. She indicated that Democrats may also call for Herring’s resignation.

Following Wednesday’s legislative session, lawmakers largely avoided reporters in the state capitol.

Northam had previously apologized and confirmed he appeared in a racist photo from his 1984 medical school yearbook, which showed an individual in blackface alongside another person in Ku Klux Klan robes. The next day, he retracted parts of his statement, asserting that neither figure in the photo was him but admitting to dressing in blackface to portray Michael Jackson.

The use of blackface originated in 19th-century minstrel shows, where white performers used grease paint to caricature enslaved people. The trope persisted in Hollywood entertainment until the mid-1980s, as highlighted by the film “Soul Man,” which featured a character posing as black to enroll in an Ivy League college.

After Fairfax and Herring, the next in line for the governorship is state House Speaker Kirk Cox, a Republican.