School yearbooks rarely rest on the mantle in the living room. Whenever it arrives, it’s usually thrown in a box and stashed away in the closet… AFTER you check it out to see the pics and get it signed by classmates who often leave weird notes that only you will know what it means 20 years later. So at least once, and maybe only once, you take a look at your yearbook. Agreed?
Virginia’s Democratic Governor Ralph Northam has to resign… immediately. The Governor’s claim that he never looked at his yearbook is BS. The claim that he didn’t know where he got the nickname “coonman” is BS. The claim that he didn’t think dressing in blackface as Michael Jackson was offensive is BS. In 1984, at 25 years old, in a state with a Black Lt. Governor, not too far from Washington where Jesse Jackson was running for president of the United States, you knew better.
After his PR team had 24 hours to prepare (they all need to be fired by the way), his press conference was awful. Instead of calming the waters, it did the exact opposite and led more Democrats to call for his resignation. If there was anything worse than his press conference, worse than admitting to wearing blackface in a different state, and laughing when asked “can you still moonwalk,” it was the willingness of Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) to publish those images in the first place. Where was the oversight? Was there such a culture of racism and bigotry that even the editorial staff and yearbook committee thought it was ok to publish?
We should note the systemic healthcare disparities that exist in this country. According to recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease and Prevention, for every 1,000 babies born in the US, 4.8 White babies die in their first year. For African-Americans, that number is 11.7. After decades of research, it’s a strong consensus that racial discrimination directly impacts many Black women and their inability to carry their baby to full term. For Black women specifically, it’s not just childbirth, it’s breast cancer detection as well. According to a study from Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, Black women were much more likely to be diagnosed at later/advanced stages than White women. One might assume they didn’t have access to care or didn’t go for regular checkups and screenings. Not exactly, Black women were 40% more likely to receive treatment that did not fall in line with standard breast cancer guidelines. The list of healthcare disparities adversely impacting Black women, Black men, and Black children, backed by a plethora of research and credible studies, is beyond long.
Medical institutions such as EVMS, which let blatant racism and bigotry go unchecked from future physicians and healthcare professionals, have directly contributed to such bias and mistreatment of African-Americans in their greatest time of need, when seeking medical attention. There’s no room for such racism in this country, especially in the operating room, or the Governor’s mansion. As stated earlier, he needs to resign… immediately.