RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said Saturday he won't step down amid widespread calls for his resignation over a racist photo from his medical-school yearbook.
- Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam says he won't resign
- A racist photo from his 1984 yearbook page surfaced
- Northam says he does not appear in the photo
The photo, which shows one person in blackface and another in a Ku Klux Klan outfit, appeared on Northam's 1984 yearbook page.
At a news conference, Northam, a Democrat, called the photo "disgusting, offensive and racist." He also denied being either person in the photo.
"When I was confronted by the images yesterday, I was appalled they appeared on my page," Northam said. "But, I believed then and now that I am not either of the people in that photo."
Northam did admiit, however, to darkening his face in a different incident around the same time.
"That same year, I did participate in a dance contest in San Antonio in which I darkened my face as part of a Michael Jackson costume," he said.
The news conference comes less than a day after Northam released a statement, apologizing for appearing in the racist photo.