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Virginia attorney general Mark A. Herring on Wednesday released a statement in which he admitted to wearing blackface in college.
"In 1980, when I was a 19-year-old undergraduate in college, some friends suggested we attend a party dressed like rappers we listened to at the time, like Kurtis Blow, and perform a song. It sounds ridiculous even now writing it. But because of our ignorance and glib attitudes -- and because we did not have an appreciation for the experiences and perspectives of others -- we dressed up and put on wigs and brown makeup," Herring said. "This was a onetime occurrence and I accept full responsibility for my conduct. That conduct clearly shows that, as a young man, I had a callous and inexcusable lack of awareness and insensitivity to the pain my behavior could inflict on others. It was really a minimization of both people of color, and a minimization of a horrific history I knew well even then."
In his statement, Herring did not identify the college. He was an undergraduate the University of Virginia.
Herring's statement comes amid a debate in Virginia over the admission of the governor that he wore blackface, and questions about whether colleges tolerated blackface for years, despite the racism it conveys.
The University of Virginia issued a statement Wednesday night that said in part, "Dressing in blackface is racist and offensive. This latest revelation underscores how important it is to continue honest conversations about our past, whether distant or not-so-distant, and how that past continues to influence our present. Those conversations have been occurring at UVA for a number of years, and they will continue."
Blackface incidents continue to take place in higher education.
