Early last month, days after a photo was released of Governor Ralph Northam (D) reportedly appearing a racist garb in his college days, and another of his nickname of “Coonman,” a racial epithet, Attorney General Mark Herring (D) also admitted to appearing in blackface. Herring’s admission followed his calls for Northam to resign.
Herring issued a statement in a report from AP saying he wore brown makeup and a wig in 1980 to look like black rapper Kurtis Blow during a party as an undergraduate at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Although the attorney general has flown under the radar for over a month, he penned an interesting op-ed published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch this week.
He explained that he was “blinded” by the “realities of white privilege,” but is now “empathizing with others.” Though, what he did was also remind Virginians once more that he is involved in the wide-reaching scandal embroiling the Commonwealth’s Democrat-led executive branch.
The nation has seen the picture of Northam (reportedly) in blackface. Considering Herring’s admission, he must not have cleared his past as well as he thought, which is possibly why he admitted to appearing in blackface in the first place.
Herring is said to have reached out to “college friends” to see if the photo exists, but he was not able to uncover anything.
However, the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) is not buying it.
Weeks ago, RPV Chairman Jack Wilson asked: “What is the difference between Governor Northam’s blackface and AG Herring’s?”
“Both Ralph Northam and Mark Herring have admitted to wearing blackface. There is no doubt that these two took part in that racist activity,” RPV said in a news release.
“However, while the RPV remains steadfast in its call for Northam and Herring to resign, the left has seemingly given Mark Herring a hall pass…Now that their stranglehold on the state government is in jeopardy, they’re backing off of Herring for political reasons,” he added.
Since a photo has still not surfaced, RPV is now “seeking further evidence of Mark Herring’s blackface and the witnesses to his racist past.”
The state party office is now offering a $1,000 reward to anyone who provides a “verifiable photo” of Herring appearing in blackface, according to a Tuesday statement.
Below is the full statement from RPV:
“There has been much talk of a picture of Mark Herring in blackface existing in a UVA Sigma Chi fraternity yearbook from his time there. Herring stated that he spoke with ‘college friends’ about his appearance in blackface and double checked if anyone had photo evidence of his indiscretions. Herring claims to not know if there is a photo, but does anyone really believe him? The Republican Party of Virginia is seeking further evidence of Mark Herring’s blackface and the witnesses to his racist past.
The Republican Party of Virginia is offering a $1000 reward for either a verified copy of a picture of Mark Herring in blackface or verifiable contact information for Herring’s Sigma Chi fraternity brothers from Herring’s time as an undergraduate that ultimately leads to a verified picture of Mark Herring in blackface.*
*Reward only available to first person to provide verifiable photograph.”