The yearbook page of the governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam

The racist photo by which the governor of Virginia offered an apology and asked for his resignation

The image is part of the Ralph Northam page in the 1984 yearbook of the Eastern Virginia Medical School

The photo appeared on a conservative web and caused a political earthquake throughout the country but especially in Virginia, which still has open the wounds of a racist past.



The image also prompted calls for his resignation both Republicans and Democrats.



“I am very sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the damage that decision caused then and now," Northam said in a statement.



“That photo and the racist and offensive attitude it represents, do not reflect who I am today, " he added in a video below.



Northam, who is 59 years old and in 1984 was 25, did not clarify whether dressed in black or dressed in the characteristic clothes of the Ku Klux Klan.



The photograph is part of the Northam page in the 1984 yearbook of the Eastern Virginia Medical School, along with three other images of the governor today, one in a suit and tie, another with his convertible Corvette and the last one with country clothes.



In the controversial image, the two people appear with apparent beer cans in their hands.

With the appearance of photography, the calls for his resignation among all political sectors, from the National Association for the Advancement of People of Color ( NAACP ) and the Republican Party of Virginia to the Democratic Candidates to the White House Kamala Harris and Julián Castro.



Northam, however, showed his intention to finish his term, which runs until January 2022.



“I accept responsibility for my past actions and I am ready to do hard work to recover your confidence, I have fought for the last year as governor for a better Virginia for everyone and I am committed to continuing that fight until the end of my life. Mandate, "Northam said in the video.



Should Northam succumb to calls for his resignation, he would be replaced by the current deputy governor, African-American Justin Fairfax.



Democrat Ralph Northam, of the state of Virginia, apologized Friday for the image taken in 1984 for the yearbook of the Eastern Virginia Medical School.

The photo appeared on a conservative web and caused a political earthquake throughout the country, but especially in Virginia, which still has open wounds of its racist past.

The image also prompted calls for his resignation both Republicans and Democrats.



"I am very sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the damage that decision caused then and now," Northam said in a statement.



With the appearance of photography, the calls for his resignation among all political sectors, from the National Association for the Advancement of People of Color (NAACP) and the Republican Party of Virginia to the Democratic Candidates to the White House Kamala Harris and Julián Castro.