The following editorial is an edition of Fireside Chats with Ryan, a political editorial column. All views, thoughts and opinions belong solely to the author and do not represent those of The Drury Mirror. 

This past Friday, Feb. 1, a photo of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam in a yearbook photo surfaced and was met with backlash immediately. The photo shows Northam dressed up in a blackface impersonation of Michael Jackson, alongside a classmate dressed up as a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

What is blackface?

Blackface originated during the late 1800s in the Jim Crow era, a time when African Americans were discriminated against due to laws in many southern states. Many laws included the infamous “separate but equal” doctrine.

As a byproduct of the Jim Crow era, many white performers painted their faces black as a means of representing African Americans. This was because African Americans themselves were not allowed to be employed in the shows.

The release of the photo was met with instant calls for Governor Northam’s resignation by both Republicans and Democrats. If the Governor were to resign due to public pressure, it could possibly set a dangerous precedent for many Republican representatives, one that the GOP would no doubt ignore.

Public reactions

It is no fresh topic in American political culture that instances like this occur. The GOP’s representative to the Senate this past November, Corey Stewart, regularly defended the Confederacy and statues of Confederate generals.

The Republican Party has been noticeably slow on the roll to address its members with racist problems; however, the Party has begun to make changes in response to them. Steve King, a prominent Republican from Iowa, was stripped of his responsibilities and committee seats in Congress for making racist comments in January. However, a House representative by the name of Steve Scalise has been documented at white supremacist rallies, and even described himself as “David Duke without the baggage.” No one has called for Scalise’s resignation.

Obviously, racism is bad, but the fact of the matter is that if Governor Northam needs to step down, then so do other representatives in our state and federal governments, regardless of office or political party. Racism and ties to any sort of supremacist group have no place in our country, and our two parties need to come together to realize this.

Article by Ryan Smith.