A slight majority of Americans (53%) think it is generally unacceptable for a white person to use makeup to darken their skin to appear to be a different race as part of a Halloween costume, including 37% who say this is never acceptable. About one-in-three (34%) say this is always […] Read more »
Virginians split on governor’s fate amid blackface scandal, poll shows
Virginians are deadlocked over whether Gov. Ralph Northam (D) should step down after the emergence of a photo on his 1984 medical school yearbook page depicting people in blackface and Ku Klux Klan robes, with African Americans saying by a wide margin he should remain in office despite the offensive […] Read more »
Stacey Abrams, Andrew Gillum and the choices for Democrats in 2020
Stacey Abrams and Andrew Gillum represent case studies in the new politics of America and give voice to a discussion inside the Democratic Party about how to win the presidency in 2020. The questions are these: What kind of candidate and what kind of campaign would give Democrats the best […] Read more »
Virginia’s Racist History Clashes With New South Image
L. Douglas Wilder, a grandson of slaves, became America’s first elected black governor 30 years ago, winning in Virginia in part by finessing the racist history of the state that is now roiling its politics once more. To succeed as a black candidate in 1989, Mr. Wilder had to patiently […] Read more »
Only 58% of Americans oppose blackface
The roiling blackface scandal in Virginia continues. It not only includes Gov. Ralph Northam (D) but now also Attorney General Mark Herring (D), who says he dressed in blackface at a college party. The scandal has put renewed focus on how this racist depiction of African Americans has endured well […] Read more »
Yes, Virginia, This is Chaos
Saying that anything in the annals of American political history is “unique” or “unprecedented” is dangerous, for the simple fact that the past is filled with so many oddities from which we can draw parallels. That said, we’re struggling to come up with something equivalent to what we’ve seen in […] Read more »