Kurtis Blow Responds to Virginia Attorney General Blackface Apology
Earlier this week, Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring admitted to wearing blackface as an undergraduate college student in the 1980s. In a statement, he wrote, “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.” Herring continued, “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 perspective of others—we dressed up and put on wigs and brown makeup.”
Kurtis Blow has now responded to Herring, as Stereogum points out. Appearing on “TMZ Live,” Kurtis Blow said, “It’s shocking. I was shocked, totally shocked. You know, being the elder spokesman, a father, a minister, a husband, I find it totally offensive and disrespectful, degrading. It’s ugly. You know, I’m praying for my man Mr. Herring right now.” In addition, Kurtis Blow told The Washington Times, “When you paint your face, that is the most egregious and disrespectful thing you can do considering what we’ve been through. It’s opening up some deep, historical scars.”
Virginia’s Democratic leadership has found itself ensconced in scandal lately. Prior to Herring’s statement, Governor Ralph Northam apologized after a 1984 photograph of him in a “clearly racist and offensive” costume surfaced. Gov. Northam has since retracted his apology, claiming, “It was definitely not me,” in a photograph that showed one person in Ku Klux Klan robes and another in blackface. Further, Virginia’s lieutenant governor Justin E. Fairfax has been accused of sexual assault.
