As the racial controversy surrounding Virginia Governor Ralph Northam (D) continues, the question must be asked: When will his Cabinet join political leaders from both sides of the aisle in calling for his resignation?
During a press conference Saturday afternoon, Northam fought back against calls from nearly every elected official in the Commonwealth – both Democrat and Republican – in demanding for his resignation, letting Virginia move forward from a disgusting chapter in its history.
Photos were released on Friday depicting the governor dressed either in “blackface” or in a Ku Klux Klan uniform in his 1984 medical college yearbook, and of a yearbook Northam appeared in while at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in the early 1980s that included multiple nicknames, one of which was “Coonman,” a racial epithet.
Shortly after the first photo went viral, Governor Northam confirmed that it was him dressed as such, but would not say which one. However, he then recanted, claiming that he was not one of the two men that appeared in racist garb.
At the seemingly-cartoonish press conference, Northam stood by his apology to Virginians, but told a story about an instance in 1984 when he did appear in blackface at a “dance contest” in San Antonio, Texas, dressed as pop star Michael Jackson. He said he had “shoe polish” on his “cheeks” as a part of the costume.
“I have always liked Michael Jackson. I won the contest,” he said to a crowd of reporters, adding that he “learned to do the moonwalk.” When asked by one in the room if he could still moonwalk, he cracked a smile and looked for room to his left, alluding to wanting to try and demonstrate his rug-cutting ability in front of dozens of reporters and government officials. However, his wife, Pam, then said “inappropriate circumstances,” causing the governor to back off performing the iconic dance move.
On Sunday night during the Super Bowl, Governor Northam met with key staff members for an unscheduled meeting, apparently considering his next move. Protests continue to mount outside the Executive Mansion in downtown Richmond with hundreds calling for him to step down.
As for the future of Governor Northam’s term, which ends in January 2022, he said during the press conference, “If we get to the point where we feel that we’re not effective, that we’re not efficient, not only for our caucuses, but the Commonwealth of Virginia, then we will revisit this and make decisions.”
It has become evident that his position as the political leader of the Commonwealth is now ineffective. The governorship has become tarnished by Northam’s refusal to step down. All the while, Virginia still has business to do, and cannot continue to be marred by the racial controversy Northam ushered into the spotlight.
Nevertheless, will members of Northam’s Cabinet join lawmakers and elected officials across the Commonwealth and the United Stated in calling for his resignation?
His Cabinet is listed as the following: Chief of Staff Clark Mercer, Deputy Chief of Staff Suzette Denslow, Commonwealth Secretary Kelly Thomasson, Administration Secretary Keyanna Conner, Agriculture Secretary Bettina Ring, Commerce Secretary Brian Ball, Education Secretary Atif Qarni, Finance Secretary Aubrey Layne, Health and Human Resources Secretary Daniel Carey, Natural Resources Secretary Matthew Strickler, Homeland Security Secretary Brian Moran, Transportation Secretary Shannon Valentine, Veterans and Defense Secretary Carlos Hopkins, Workforce Advisor Megan Healy, and Counsel to the Governor Rita Davis.