Skip to main content
Statement

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam Should Resign, Moms Leader Says

February 2, 2019

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

Statement from Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, CEO and executive director of MomsRising, an online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on the revelations about Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s racist actions:

“Gov. Northam’s comments today – including his admission of past ‘mistakes’ and his denial that he is portrayed in the deeply offensive, racist yearbook photo that surfaced yesterday – are contradictory and wholly inadequate. If he is not one of the people portrayed in that despicable photo, he should have said so the moment it surfaced. In addition, this still begs the question of why he allowed such an awful image to be featured on his yearbook page in the first place. It’s completely unacceptable for anyone, especially for an elected leader, to create, promote, or be associated with such racist imagery.

“Every mom knows this is not okay; and especially at this time when our country is so deeply divided and President Trump is actively reinforcing structural racism in policy, we need leaders who are better than this. Gov. Northam simply is not the right person to lead Virginia. He should resign from office now.”

# # # #

MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.