--- title: Northam Scandal is Opportunity for Forgiveness: McDonnell description: "You know everybody's got...some things that they have in their life, some prejudices, some biases that need to be examined," he said. canonical: https://time.com/5521768/bob-mcdonnell-ralph-northam/ author: Abby Vesoulis article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-02-05T23:00:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T22:41:17.312Z article:section: Politics og:title: Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell: Northam Scandal Is an Opportunity for 'Repentance' og:description: "Perhaps this event will allow Virginians to confront the ugly and evil legacies of slavery and Jim Crow." og:url: https://time.com/5521768/bob-mcdonnell-ralph-northam/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt93569150b3af8a58/6989446cb21a9c9bc150006d/virginia-governor-racist-yearbook-photos.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3911 og:image:height: 2200 og:image:alt: virginia-governor-racist-yearbook-photos og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell: Northam Scandal Is an Opportunity for 'Repentance' twitter:description: "Perhaps this event will allow Virginians to confront the ugly and evil legacies of slavery and Jim Crow." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt93569150b3af8a58/6989446cb21a9c9bc150006d/virginia-governor-racist-yearbook-photos.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell: Northam Scandal Is an Opportunity for 'Repentance' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [Abby Vesoulis](https://time.com/author/abby-vesoulis/)  ## Abby Vesoulis Feb 5, 2019 11:00 PM UTC  Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam prepares to address a news conference at the Capitol in Richmond, Va. on Jan. 31, 2019\. Photos from Northam's 1984 yearbook show racist images near his photos appeared on Feb. 1, 2019 causing concern. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam prepares to address a news conference at the Capitol in Richmond, Va. on Jan. 31, 2019\. Photos from Northam's 1984 yearbook show racist images near his photos appeared on Feb. 1, 2019 causing concern. Steve Helber—AP  by [Abby Vesoulis](https://time.com/author/abby-vesoulis/)  ## Abby Vesoulis Feb 5, 2019 11:00 PM UTC On Jan. 1, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam issued a [proclamation](https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/proclamations/proclamation/year-of-reconciliation-and-civility.html) making 2019 the official year of reconciliation and civility for the state. One month later, he found himself embroiled in [a controversy over a racist image of two men in blackface and a Klan robe](http://time.com/5519354/governor-northam-not-resigning/) in his medical school yearbook. Former Gov. Bob McDonnell, who founded the volunteer group, Virginians for Reconciliation, that is leading the reconciliation and civility charge behind Northam’s January proclamation, described the photo in question as ironic — given the pledge — and reprehensible. “I think, at his core, Ralph Northam, for my 12 years of knowing him, is a good and decent man,” he told TIME. “He’s given most of his life to public service: Army officer, dedicated doctor and now the state government for 12 years. I think the pictures are reprehensible. They are vile and are properly criticized overwhelmingly by Virginians.” Some Virginia lawmakers have called for Northam to step down immediately: U.S. Reps. Elaine Luria, Abigail Spanberger, Jennifer Wexton, Gerry Connolly and Don Beyer, among several others. McDonnell stopped short of that step, saying Northam should instead embrace the opportunity for reconciliation. “This presents a unique opportunity for Virginians for Reconciliation, and many other groups that are working on this, to have some significant truth-telling and honesty and forgiveness and repentance and a frank discussion about where we are. You know everybody’s got — it seems to me — some things that they have in their life, some prejudices, some biases that need to be examined and extracted from their life,” he said. “And perhaps this event will allow Virginians to confront the ugly and evil legacies of slavery and Jim Crow and say: ‘Where do we go from here? How do we how do we do better making this a just and equitable and fair society?’” Northam will be responsible for making his own decision, says McDonnell, who faced his own [corruption scandal](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/va-politics/mcdonnells-corporation-wife-benefited-from-120000-more-from-donor-sources-say/2013/07/09/79b29880-e5b4-11e2-aef3-339619eab080%5Fstory.html?utm%5Fterm=.3b77071a5ca6) while governor in 2013\. He confessed to accepting expensive gifts and loans from a political donor, though he paid them back, [asserted](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/08/22/bob-mcdonnell-corruption-trial/14420391/) he didn’t break any laws and finished his term. “I think \[Northam is\] a good public servant at heart and he’ll make that decision whether he has the ability to govern. 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