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Several Virginia state officials and residents defended First Lady Pam Northam against allegations that she allegedly gave cotton to black students during a visit to the governor 's mansion centered on the city. slavery.
Officials told the Washington Post that Northam did not focus on black students during his tours, contradicting allegations that African-Americans were singled out when the first lady distributed raw cotton.
"No one was chosen," said Sen. Chap Petersen (D), whose teenage son participated in one of the visits.
An employee of the state of Virginia whose daughter went to the mansion said earlier this week that Northam had specifically approached three black students on a group of 20 to give them cotton.
On February 21, a hundred or so legislative pages of the state went to the governor's mansion for a reception. Northam distributed tobacco leaves and raw cotton capsules to each group, asking students to imagine the difficulty that slaves faced daily in processing crude.
"Ms. Northam then asked these three pages (the only Afro-American pages of the program) if they could imagine what it should have been to harvest cotton all day," said Leah Dozier Walker, director of the office. equity and community involvement of the Department of Education, wrote to lawmakers and the governor after a tour.
"I can not understand why the first lady chooses African-American pages for this – or – why she would ask them such an insensitive question."
When Northam's office rejected this claim, Walker doubled.
"I do not expect students or non-Black parents to understand the pain and suffering associated with cotton among African Americans – or that they be asked to relive the horrors associated with it. to the racist institution of American slavery – even in a historical context, "she wrote. an email Friday night.
The story caught the country's attention, and many media wrapped it in the Richmond scandal as Governor Ralph Northam (D) and Attorney General Mark Herring (D) defended themselves after revealing that they wore the blazon in the 1980s.
Petersen said that she had asked for details from her son after the release of the story.
"Did the first lady give you cotton balls?" Petersen remembered. "He explained," Everyone touched it. She noted that she had stingers. "" Have people been chosen? He added, "It did not happen. "He could not have been more categorical."
A total of 10 pages, directly or through parents, told The Post that the first lady had not paid close attention to black students.
"She did not choose anyone or anything," Celina Harris, 13, told The Post.
"As for the cotton part, she has put it back to the nearest page and distributed it to everyone. She explained that slaves had to pick cotton and that it was difficult for them because it was sharp. "
"I also spoke to witnesses who were present and the cotton situation during Governor's visits did not occur as she was in the press," said the Senator Scott A. Surovell (D) in a statement. Facebook post.
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