A photo on Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s medical school yearbook page shows one person in blackface and another in a Ku Klux Klan robe and hood, The Virginian-Pilot reports. The newspaper obtained a copy of the 1984 yearbook from the Eastern Virginia Medical School library on Friday, confirming the photo was on Northam’s page. Big League Politics first reported the existence of the photo earlier Friday. In addition to the blackface and KKK photo, the page features Northam’s name and three images of him. The page also lists Northam’s alma mater (Virginia Military Institute), his interest (“Pediatrics”), and his senior quote (“There are more old drunks than old doctors in this world so I think I’ll have another beer”). “I can confirm that the picture in question does appear in a 1984 student-produced publication,” a spokesperson for the medical school said in a statement. “The EVMS library is open to the public and does provide access to its materials.” The governor’s office did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast’s requests for comment. The photo surfaced after the Democratic governor sparked criticism for his comments about a failed bill that would have loosened abortion restrictions in the state.
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