Richmond, VA - New Virginia Majority’s Board of Directors tonight voted to call for Gov. Ralph Northam’s immediate resignation. The racist photo on the Governor’s medical school yearbook page reminds us of what we know: the constancy of the Jim Crow era is alive and well in Virginia.

White supremacy and racism should not be baked into the fabric of American life. As an organization committed to empowering communities of color, we must unequivocally and without hesitation call out, condemn, and root out bigotry and racism wherever we find it - particularly among the most powerful. This is especially true at a time when hate and white supremacy is being fomented at the highest levels. Ensuring that those we elect are committed to racial justice beyond talking points is what it will take to produce real change in Virginia.

Apologies are not enough. We call on Governor Northam to resign and begin the process of truly healing the damage this has caused.

To those hurt and angered by today: let this fuel and intensify our commitment to transform and organize fiercely for a better Virginia.

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New Virginia Majority builds power in working-class communities of color across the Commonwealth. We organize for racial and economic justice through large-scale political education, mobilization, and advocacy around dozens of issues. We fight for a Virginia that is just, democratic, and environmentally sustainable.