President Joe Biden will participate in an event alongside Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Friday, two years after Biden said the embattled governor “should resign immediately” for appearing to have worn either a KKK outfit or blackface.
Northam had a nearly career-ending scandal in 2019 following revelations that his 1984 yearbook page contained a photo of two men, one wearing a KKK outfit and the other in blackface. Northam has never confirmed which of the men is him. He initially admitted to being in the photo in an apologetic statement, but then later denied he was in the picture.
The scandal brought a wave of calls for him to resign, including from then-presidential candidate Joe Biden, who called on the embattled governor to resign “immediately.”
There is no place for racism in America. Governor Northam has lost all moral authority and should resign immediately, Justin Fairfax is the leader Virginia needs now.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) February 2, 2019
Biden and Northam will both speak Friday in Alexandria, Virginia to mark the state’s progress in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the White House.
Vice President Kamala Harris also called on him to resign in 2019, though she is not scheduled to attend Friday’s event.
Leaders are called to a higher standard, and the stain of racism should have no place in the halls of government. The Governor of Virginia should step aside so the public can heal and move forward together.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) February 2, 2019
Northam never resigned and instead argued that the scandal awakened him to “what black oppression is.”
“There’s been an awakening of really what black oppression is,” Northam said at the time. “A lot of people that look like me have learned a lot, have listened, have seen the pain that is in this country, that is in Virginia in the last few weeks.” (RELATED: Kamala Harris Calls For VA Gov. Northam To Resign Over Racist Photo)
He added, “What I didn’t realize, and what I have learned, is really that black oppression exists here, is alive and well in 2020. I think white people need to listen and I think they are recognizing the pain that exists because of the protests.”