Ralph Northam, Democratic Governor of Virginia, lobbied for his resignation after a racist photo | World

On the image reproduced by the US media, two young people appear: one with the face painted black and the other dressed with clothes used by members of the Ku Klux sect Klan. The photo dates from 1984 and was originally published in the school yearbook where Northam was a medical student. Under the picture, a quote is attributed to him: "There are more drunkards than old doctors in this world, so I think I'll have another beer."

In the first reaction, in a statement on Friday (1), the governor tried to justify himself. "A website published a picture of me taken from a medical school album in 1984 in a blatantly racist and insulting fantasy," he wrote, without specifying whether he "s going to school. acts of the person wearing the Ku Klux Klan or who makes a "blackface" a racist practice of black painting.

"I'm not the person in the picture"

But in a hurry, Northam decided to return Saturday (2). At a press conference in Richmond, Virginia's capital, the governor apologized for the controversy but denied his presence. "Since my statement yesterday, I have been thinking with my family and my old college colleagues and I have come to the conclusion that I am not the person in the picture," he said. .

Although he claims to have never seen the picture, he says that this type of staging does not surprise him. "At the time and the place where I grew up, many actions, considered today as heinous – and rightly so – were normal," he said.

On the other hand, he admitted to having already done "blackface" in a dance competition in 1984 to imitate singer Michael Jackson.

"I have always loved Michael Jackson.I won the contest because I learned to do the moonwalk," he repeated, referring to the famous choreography of l & # 39; artist.

According to him, thanks to a black friend, he learned that painting in black is a racist practice, regretting the performances.

For the US media, it is unlikely that Northam's apology will convince public opinion. Leading figures in the Democratic Party such as Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris are asking for his resignation.