海角大神

Virginia state Del. Delores McQuinn was with Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam the night the racist photo surfaced last February. A member of the state鈥檚 Legislative Black Caucus, she was shocked that the man she had helped elect two years earlier once wore blackface. But while she expected him to resign, she advised against it.

鈥淚t is not time to retreat,鈥� Ms. McQuinn says she told him. 鈥淚t is time to teach. This is a moment to turn this pain for all of us into something different.鈥�

Her words must have stuck.

Six months later, the white governor received standing ovations from a mostly black crowd, including some who had called for him to step down. As he marked the 400th anniversary of the arrival of African slaves in August, Governor Northam addressed Virginia鈥檚 contradictory history with racism 鈥� and by extension, his own.听

鈥淚鈥檝e had to confront some painful truths,鈥� he said at Fort Monroe, the landing site for the country鈥檚 first African slaves. 鈥淎mong those truths was my own incomplete understanding regarding race and equity. ... But I also learned that the more I know, the more I can do.鈥�

Mr. Northam鈥檚 political survival has been aided in part by unusual circumstances, including the fact that his potential successors were embroiled in scandals of their own, and that Virginia law already prevented him from running again when his term ends in January 2022. Certainly, not everyone has given him a pass.

Still, his ability to recover even partially from what seemed to many a career-ending incident speaks to both his constituents鈥� capacity to forgive and his own willingness to learn. As other politicians from Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau grapple with their own blackface scandals, Mr. Northam鈥檚 experience presents a possible model for moving forward.

鈥楾he right decision鈥� to forgive

The February release of a photo from Mr. Northam鈥檚 1984 medical school yearbook caused nationwide uproar. Two men were pictured 鈥� one in blackface, the other in Ku Klux Klan robes.

Mr. Northam initially apologized and said he was in the photo. Then in a bizarre press conference the next day, he said he wasn鈥檛, but had worn blackface another time. An independent investigation three months later could not identify the individuals in the photo.听

After meeting with the governor, the state鈥檚 Legislative Black Caucus demanded he resign, as did many prominent Democrats nationwide. But from the night the scandal broke, he refused to step down. Virginia governors can鈥檛 succeed themselves, and Mr. Northam has made clear this will be his last elected office. 鈥淗e had absolutely nothing to lose by staying in office, and everything to gain,鈥� says Theodore Johnson, a senior fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice.听The governor鈥檚 office did not respond to requests for comment.

Mr. Northam was able to remain in office in part due to separate scandals with his potential successors (his lieutenant governor has been accused of sexual assault, a charge he denies, while the state鈥檚 attorney general admitted to wearing blackface in college). But he also had support from most black Virginians. February polls showed that almost 60% of African Americans in the state didn鈥檛 think he should resign; a similar share didn鈥檛 consider him racist.

Today, many African Americans 鈥� especially in older generations 鈥� say they are willing to forgive him, as long as there鈥檚 evident repentance.听

鈥淭hat鈥檚 a part of our DNA,鈥� says Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck. 鈥淲e talk about forgiveness. We took it all in stride, because that鈥檚 who we are.鈥�

Mr. Northam promised he would spend his two remaining years in office promoting racial equity. And while skeptics questioned his motives, many African Americans say they find his efforts sincere. A fifth of the state鈥檚 electorate, many black Virginians felt they had more to gain from Mr. Northam staying in office than leaving, says Mr. Johnson.

The governor鈥檚 equity-based reforms since February have included creating advisory boards on racial issues and removing Confederate monuments. Mr. Northam has also spent months meeting with black leaders on a statewide reconciliation tour 鈥� leaders like Danville Mayor Alonzo Jones.听

Danville is a low-income, heavily African American city on the North Carolina border. When the governor visited, Mr. Jones was concerned about tokenism. 鈥淲hat is it that you want from us?鈥� Mr. Jones says he asked. The governor responded by asking what he could do for Danville. Since then, Mr. Northam has returned several times, and the mayor says their offices have been in constant contact.

鈥淚 think we made the right decision [to forgive],鈥� says Mr. Jones. 鈥淣o, we made the right decision.鈥澨�

To James 鈥淛.J.鈥� Minor, a community advocate, president of the Richmond NAACP, and Delegate McQuinn鈥檚 son, the scandal showed the extent of Virginia鈥檚 racist past 鈥� not that Mr. Northam is a racist today.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 see racism in him,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 see it because of the work that he鈥檚 doing now, which African Americans are benefiting from.鈥澨�

鈥淧eople can continue to talk about yesterday,鈥� says Mr. Minor. 鈥淚 want to talk about tomorrow.鈥澨�

More work ahead

Still, as the governor serves out his term, scrutiny remains. Former Virginia Gov. Doug Wilder 鈥� who was the nation鈥檚 first black governor 鈥� says the scandal continues to cast a shadow over Mr. Northam鈥檚 time in office, including any reforms.听

鈥淚f he鈥檚 doing these things as a result of some degree of atonement or an apology, it has a different ring to it,鈥� says Mr. Wilder, who is facing an allegation of sexual harassment from a former student, which he denies.听

Younger generations in particular are less forgiving.听

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think that politicians should be considered robots. They鈥檙e going to make mistakes and they鈥檙e human,鈥� says Mikaili Lee, a senior at Norfolk State University, a historically black university. 鈥淏ut for certain things, where [there鈥檚] an obvious lack of judgment, there鈥檚 a lack of accountability.鈥�

Mr. Lee doesn鈥檛 think Mr. Northam should have resigned, but he says there should have been consequences. He prefers the governor鈥檚 policies to those of Republicans, but says Virginia politics sometimes feels like a choice 鈥渂etween two evils.鈥澨�听

A听recent poll听by the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg found that 47% of Virginians today approve of Mr. Northam鈥檚 performance in office, while 35% disapprove. That鈥檚 an improvement from February, when his approval fell to 32%. It鈥檚 also better than President Donald Trump鈥檚 approval rating in the state, which is at 39%.听 听

For many African Americans in the state, the face of racism today isn鈥檛 Mr. Northam, but President Trump. The Legislative Black Caucus boycotted the president鈥檚 visit for America鈥檚 400th anniversary of representative government. Not so for the governor鈥檚 appearance at the 400th anniversary of the arrival of African slaves.

鈥淸Governor Northam鈥檚] incident just revealed the fact that racism was real,鈥� says Ms. McQuinn. 鈥淒onald Trump continues to perpetuate it.鈥�

She thinks the scandal will stain the governor鈥檚 legacy, but won鈥檛 become the legacy itself. If he was willing to learn, she was willing to forgive.听

True progress requires all sides at the table, says听Soji Akomolafe, chair of the political science department at Norfolk State University. As long as they think their interests lie with him today, many African Americans are willing to work with Mr. Northam,听Dr. Akomolafe says 鈥� even if he admitted to wearing blackface, his ancestors owned slaves, and he lives in the capital of the Confederacy.

Dr. Akomolafe is launching a university think tank for African American public policy and has invited the governor to the opening.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 see any reason why I have to throw out the baby with the bathwater,鈥� he says. 鈥淗e who has not committed a sin, let him cast the first stone.鈥�