We listened to Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring’s radio interview Monday on the Kojo Nnamdi Show on WAMU in Washington.

It was Mr. Herring’s first public interview since confessing to his own blackface episode dressing as rapper Kurtis Blow in 1980 when he was a 19-year-old freshman at the University of Virginia. To listen to it or to read a transcript, go to https://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2019-03-04/mark-herring.

Mr. Herring said during the interview that he has spent the last four weeks since his blackface revelation in early February meeting and talking with legislators, community officials, friends and others across Virginia to apologize directly and to find out whether “they still trusted me to continue to do the job effectively.”

He said one theme throughout his conversations is the “renewed focus on race” in Virginia and the desire “to make something good come of this — that maybe we can have a more honest dialogue about our nation’s history and the legacy of white privilege and institutional and systemic racism that persists today as a result of that,” including “specific ways we might be able to rectify the ongoing discrimination that happens.”

We are glad that the 57-year-old Mr. Herring has awakened since his college days to the demeaning and humiliating statement blackface conveys. And we believe he owes the people of the Commonwealth an apology for his actions, as well as acknowledgment of what critical and positive change needs to happen now.

But we were struck at the numerous times Mr. Herring apologized during the interview for what he called his “shameful act,” as though he was reciting the Act of Contrition given him by a priest in a confessional to absolve his sins.

He also used his loop of apology to sidestep questions on why he is not holding himself to the same standard he demanded of Gov. Ralph S. Northam in calling for his resignation for a blackface routine in 1984 as Michael Jackson in a dance contest when the governor was a 24-year-old medical resident in Texas.

Mr. Herring also reeled off his apology in dodging questions about whether he still believes Gov. Northam should resign, whether the surfacing of Gov. Northam’s yearbook page showing a person in blackface and another in full Ku Klux Klan garb was politically motivated and whether Mr. Herring’s public disclosure about himself was prompted by media inquiries about the possible existence of a photo showing him in blackface at U.Va.

We believe Mr. Herring must answer those questions head-on rather than hiding behind an apology that started sounding canned and rehearsed. There is no ducking and dodging when it comes to issues of race. People in power, particularly Caucasians, have perpetuated many of the racist policies, practices and laws growing out of the long-held mistaken beliefs of white supremacy and white privilege because they want to dodge the mirror of truth when it comes to race. That time is up now in Virginia.

Mr. Herring, Gov. Northam and others cannot continue to hide or put off the deep and disturbing issues arising from this blackface scandal. Mr. Herring must come clean if he, like Gov. Northam, wants to remain in office.

We note the difference in age — and likely maturity levels — between Mr. Herring and Gov. Northam when their blackface episodes took place. While Mr. Herring was a young college student, Gov. Northam was out of college, had finished medical school and had started his residency. We would expect more from someone of the governor’s experience, knowledge and understanding at age 24.

We also note that Mr. Herring has done so much more for African-Americans and underrepresented communities in Virginia during his last five years as attorney general than Gov. Northam has done in his four years as lieutenant governor and first year as governor, Medicaid expansion not withstanding.

If  Mr. Herring is sincere about committing to action to bring about change, then we need to see it rather than mere lip service.

We have urged the African-American community to focus on shaping what reconciliation looks like and to articulate to Mr. Herring, Gov. Northam and other state elected officials the specific changes that need to be made to laws and policy to secure a more equitable future for African-Americans and people of color. 

We find it despicable that the Republican Party of Virginia is offering a $1,000 reward to the first person who can produce a verifiable photo of Mr. Herring in blackface or for a verifiable contact with one of his college fraternity brothers that ultimately leads to a photo of Mr. Herring in blackface.

We find it grossly inappropriate and disgusting for the GOP to offer such a bounty, like a reward for an outlaw or for body parts of a lynching victim. Their request may come back to haunt them. Certainly, with the GOP’s history of racist members of its own, it would be no wonder if photos of their stalwarts in blackface, KKK robes, Nazi or Confederate get-ups surface for free — without charge or a $1,000 bounty.

The GOP should beware.