The State of Virginia has a problem.

Last week a photo emerged from Governor Ralph Northam's Medical School Yearbook.

In it are two people at a party in 1984. One is dressed as a member of the Ku Klux

Clan, the other is in Blackface. Northam first apologized, then said he wasn't in

the photo, then said he once wore shoe polish to dress up as Michael Jackson.

Calls for Northam's resignation have come from basically everyone, but thus far the governor has

refused to step down. And then this Wednesday

Virginia's attorney general Mark Herring announced that he too had worn blackface

to a college party in 1980.

Herring apologized in a statement that also noted

his work to address systemic racism.

What is happening in Virginia

and what does it tell us about racism in America?

This is Radio Atlantic. So why do we keep talking about Blackface?

Joining me now are Van Newkirk staff writer at the Atlantic and Adam Sir were also a staff writer at the

Atlantic. Thanks for joining me guys.

Thanks for having us.

Let's talk a little bit about the history of Blackface.

For people who kind of don't understand how this all began, Van, where do we first start seeing white entertainers dressed up in black face?

So you really start seeing black face in the middle of the 19th century it starts with people from outside of the slave

states kind of seeing the images of slavery and of course you couldn't have black people in these images of slavery

and you had white people who put on burnt cork or other skin darkening things

...