The Governor of Virginia was in a yearbook in a racist photograph, and a large number of people, including Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, and Julian Castro, have called for his resignation.
He may have already stepped down, but I don’t think he should.
Mr. Northam has been a good governor. He has done nothing remotely racist, and, in fact, has been a force for comity and tolerance. We have to recognize the power of redemption, of people’s ability to grow.
I’ve heard people say that he wasn’t a kid. That he should have known better. I would ask anyone older than 26, are you the same person you were when you were 26? Have you always make wise decisions? Heck, I’m not the same person I was last year.
George Wallace was one of the worst segregationists in history, but he changed. He gave a speech at the University of Alabama (the school where he once stood in the door to keep a black student from enrolling) in which he said blacks and whites were “all God’s children, and all God’s children are equal.” The last time Wallace ran for governor of Alabama, he would have lost his election if only white people had voted. Black people gave him his majority.
People change. Can we please think about forgiveness?
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