Racism

Elie Mystal of Above The Law Sounds Off on Ralph Northam. He is Exactly Right.

February 2, 2019

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Elie Mystal, editor of Above The Law and clear thinker has something to say on Twitter about the Virginia Governor Ralph Northam sh*t storm that Northam’s few remaining apologists aren’t gonna like….

So, my senior year of high school I moved to Indiana for my senior year. At the new school, seniors got their own parking spots and could paint it however they wished.

In my randomly assigned spot, the previous senior had painted it with the Confederate flag.

— Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) February 2, 2019

“So, my senior year of high school I moved to Indiana for my senior year. At the new school, seniors got their own parking spots and could paint it however they wished.

In my randomly assigned spot, the previous senior had painted it with the Confederate flag.

People didn’t notice this would be a problem until I showed up and then *everybody* noticed it would be a problem.

It was quickly repainted. Not even by me. But by members of the football team which I had been practicing with a little bit over the summer.

I tell this story now because I notice how the #RalphNortham conversation isn’t really focused on the harm he caused to his classmates in real time. There were black people in his school in 1984. And 1985, and 86 and so on. Imagine what they must have thought.

Imagine, coming into medical school, excited and terrified at the same time, flipping thought last year’s yearbook that’s lying around somewhere, and coming across blackface bro and Klansman friend. Imagine not knowing which one of your classmates will be “the one” your year.

Imagine literally never being able to show your OWN damn yearbook, from your successful time at MEDICAL SCHOOL, to your children because you don’t EVER want them to see the racism you went through.

Northman never apologized to those classmates. He’s had 35 freaking years to do so. He didn’t go up to black people at the reunion and say “hey, maybe you saw our yearbook from that year? I’m sorry, deeply sorry, I ruined it for everybody.”

It’s not a victim less crime. It’s not a politically incorrect foible. Northam hurt people, and didn’t apologize for it until he got caught and wanted to keep his job.

He shouldn’t be able to get away with it.”

Elie’s point is twofold.

Even the students he went to school with in Indiana knew that the traitor flag, far from being a benign expression of their “heritage” was hurtful to a black team mate and not something that should be allowed to mar his experience of joining the team.

Ralph Northam and the Eastern Virginia Medical School allowed symbols at least as, if not more, offensive and terrifying to be printed in their yearbook in 1984, twenty years after the Civil Rights Act was passed.

Northam cannot be allowed to hold onto his seat.

If necessary Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly should join with Republicans, also if necessary, to remove him from office.

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[cross-posted to PolitiZoom]