Current:Home > MyPhoto shows U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler wearing blackface at college Halloween party in 2006 -EverVision Finance
Photo shows U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler wearing blackface at college Halloween party in 2006
View
Date:2025-04-13 13:01:09
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler said he was sorry Thursday after the New York Times obtained photos of him wearing blackface about two decades ago at a college Halloween costume party where he dressed as Michael Jackson.
The images emerged as Lawler, a first-term Republican, is locked in a competitive reelection fight for his congressional seat in New York’s Hudson Valley.
In a statement provided to The Associated Press, Lawler described himself as a lifelong Jackson superfan who was attempting to pay homage to the pop star.
“When attempting to imitate Michael’s legendary dance moves at a college Halloween party eighteen years ago, the ugly practice of black face was the furthest thing from my mind. Let me be clear, this is not that,” he said, adding that the costume was intended as “a genuine homage to one of my childhood idols.”
“I am a student of history and for anyone who takes offense to the photo, I am sorry,” Lawler said. “All you can do is live and learn, and I appreciate everyone’s grace along the way.”
The Times reported that the photo was taken in 2006 when Lawler was 20.
Lawler is in a tough race against Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mondaire Jones, who is Black.
Blackface minstrelsy took hold in New York City in the 1830s and became popular among post-Civil War whites, though it was regarded as offensive to Black people from the beginning of its use.
Several politicians and celebrities have been criticized for wearing blackface.
veryGood! (66114)
Related
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Look Back at Chicago West's Cutest Pics
- `The Honeymooners’ actress Joyce Randolph has died at 99; played Ed Norton’s wife, Trixie
- Harrison Ford Gives Rare Public Shoutout to Lovely Calista Flockhart at 2024 Critics Choice Awards
- Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
- Jordan Love’s dominant performance in win over Cowboys conjures memories of Brett Favre
- Emmys finally arrive for a changed Hollywood, as ‘Succession’ and ‘Last of Us’ vie for top awards
- Yemen Houthi rebels fire missile at US warship in Red Sea in first attack after American-led strikes
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- Indonesia evacuates about 6,500 people on the island of Flores after a volcano spews clouds of ash
Ranking
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- Alec Musser, 'All My Children's Del Henry and 'Grown Ups' actor, dies at 50: Reports
- Class Is Chaotically Back in Session During Abbott Elementary Season 3 Sneak Peek
- How to watch the Emmys on Monday night
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- Photos show the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
- This photo shows the moment Maine’s record high tide washed away more than 100-year-old fishing shacks
- With 'Origin,' Ava DuVernay illuminates America's racial caste system
Recommendation
Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
`The Honeymooners’ actress Joyce Randolph has died at 99; played Ed Norton’s wife, Trixie
Lindsay Lohan Disappointed By Joke Seemingly Aimed at Her in New Mean Girls Movie
Former chairman of state-owned bank China Everbright Group arrested over suspected corruption
Sam Taylor
Father of fallen NYPD officer who advocated for 9/11 compensation fund struck and killed by SUV
Florida Dollar General reopens months after the racially motivated killing of 3 Black people
UK government say the lslamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir is antisemitic and moves to ban it