But the cascade of revelations here since the racist images from Mr. Northam’s yearbook surfaced last Friday has stung Virginians because the blackface imagery demonstrates how deeply embedded white supremacy is in the state’s not-too-distant past. “I think I would have held it together until I saw the first brother cry,” Ms. Lucas said Wednesday night, long after the gathering had broken up. “It was hard to get up from the table and walk away. The state Capitol is filled with promotional materials trumpeting the 400th anniversary of the first representative assembly in the new world, which is what makes the General Assembly here the oldest continuous legislative body in America. But this year also marks two other milestones: the 400th anniversary of slaves being brought to Jamestown and the 60th anniversary of Prince Edward County closing its public schools to avoid integrating them.

Source: New York Times February 08, 2019 18:44 UTC