Every Choice has a Consequence, even a Delayed One

      Within the last year, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring has repeatedly apologized for wearing blackface and dressing up as a rapper while attending a college party in 1980. He had first admitted to this offence while a student at the University of Virginia. He states, "It was a one-time occurrence, and it is something that has haunted me for decades, and I'm so very sorry for the hurt that I've caused". One of Virginia's top three Democrats, Herring along with Northam and Fairfax have been accused of a racial scandal; however, Herring had kept the lowest profile. While Northam did apologize for wearing blackface, Fairfax continues to deny the sexual assault of two women. The public level of forgiveness has been biased towards political affiliation. Resuming with his apologies, Herring says that public trust is important to him and he knows he must be true to the people while Republicans claim that his apologies ring hollow. Additionally, they claim that Herring's timing of the announcement was suspicious for he originally stated that he did not know if a photo existed and then immediately reacted on the situation after the proof surfaced. 
      Herring claims that, rather than resigning, he will prioritize these next years on "racial reconciliation" and repairing the damage he has caused. As of when the article was written, he is no longer planning to run as governor in 2021. 
         This revelation has impacted not only the career of Herring and Virginia's three Democrats but also universities across the nation. An article written in April of 2019 discusses how the president of Hollins University, a small liberal-arts school, requested the removal of past yearbooks that contained photos of students and faculty with blackface and holding Confederate flags. Other universities have followed this example, eager to undo the damage by erasing it. The country is beginning to find out that, in the age of technology where photos are constantly being taken, politically incorrect behavior that weren't considered horrific at the time will result in consequences now or in the future. Now, people are being judged for doing something that was acceptable or commonplace in the past but could ruin a career or even a life in today's climate.
      Another example is the Robert E Lee high school renaming. This local public high school was named after a Confederate general. Now his statues are being taken down and the connection between his name and the school is being erased. He had been in favor of slavery but at the time slavery was a part of life. In conclusion, there is a fine line between erasing history and respecting the mistakes of our past.


Articles
https://www.usnews.com/news/education-news/articles/2019-04-03/hollins-university-removes-access-to-yearbooks-with-racist-images

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/virginia/articles/2019-03-04/virginia-ag-says-he-wants-to-repair-harm-from-blackface


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