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Virginians have been preoccupied with the news from the governor\u2019s, lieutenant governor\u2019s, and attorney general\u2019s offices for more than a week. At the Jepson School, as elsewhere, faculty, staff, and students alike are deeply disappointed by the racist image on Gov. Ralph Northam\u2019s medical school yearbook page. They are also disappointed in the admissions by Gov. Northam and Attorney General Mark Herring that they wore blackface in the 1980s to impersonate African-American musicians Michael Jackson and Kurtis Blow, respectively. In the midst of the scandal, Vanessa Tyson, an associate professor of politics at Scripps College, publicly accused Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of sexually assaulting her in 2004.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the best way to make sense of the blackface scandal\u00a0is to learn from Jepson School associate professor of leadership studies Julian Hayter. Dr. Hayter, a historian by training, was not terribly surprised at the governor\u2019s and attorney general\u2019s failures of leadership, which, he argues, result from a failure to reconcile ourselves fully with the past. From as far away as Le Monde in France to the Globe and Mail in Canada and venues closer to home, read Dr. Hayter\u2019s remarks below.<\/p>\n
NBC12 WWBT, Feb. 12: \u201cHistorian sheds light on Northam\u2019s \u2018indentured servant\u2019 comments\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Francetvinfo, Feb. 11: \u201cLe gouverneur de Virginie rattrap\u00e9 par une photo de \u2018blackface\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n The Globe and Mail, Feb. 8: \u201cPolitical turmoil in Virginia puts Democrats in conundrum\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Le Monde, Feb. 8: \u201cAux Etats-Unis, un \u2018blackface\u2019 est toujours insultant\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 5: \u201cRacist Histories\u201d <\/a><\/p>\n USA Today, Feb. 4: \u201cIn blackface controversy, Virginia remains haunted by its Confederate past\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n The Washington Post, Feb. 2: \u201cAnalysis: Northam struggles to escape Virginia\u2019s troubled past \u2013 and his own\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n