Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison recently stated that he believes it would be best for Gov. Ralph Northam (D-VA) to stay in office.
“If Virginia Governor Northam keeps his pledge to fight for racial reconciliation, I believe VA (and US) will be better served than if he just resigned. But let’s shape what ‘racial reconciliation’ looks like today,” Ellison wrote on Twitter Saturday.
If Virginia governor Northam keeps his pledge to fight for racial reconciliation, I believe VA (and US) will be better served than if he just resigned. But let’s shape what ‘racial reconciliation’ looks like today. https://t.co/DM1CAMfXak
— Keith Ellison (@keithellison) February 9, 2019
Ellison made the comments in response to an interview Northam gave in which he said he wants to focus the remainder of his term on racial equity.
“It’s obvious from what happened this week that we still have a lot of work to do. There are still some deep wounds in Virginia, and especially in the area of equity,” Northam said. “There are ongoing inequities to access things like education, health care, mortgages, capital, entrepreneurship. And so this has been a real, I think, an awakening for Virginia. It has really raised the level of awareness for racial issues in Virginia. And so we’re ready to learn from our mistakes.”
Northam has been facing bipartisan calls to resign ever since a medical school yearbook photo of him wearing blackface surfaced.
“The things that I did back in medical school and in San Antonio were insensitive and I have learned since that they were very offensive,” he said. “We learn from our mistakes and I’m a stronger person.”
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Ralph Northam” by Ralph Northam. Background Photo “Virginia Capital” by Paul Sableman. CC BY 2.0.
There are two people in the yearbook picture, one in blackface and one in a KKK hood. Northam said he was in the picture but refused to say which person was him. Complicating things further, the next day Northam denied that he was in the picure at all.