joining us now is derrick johnson. he is the president of the naacp nationwide. mr. eally appreciate you making time to be with us tonight. thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you for the opportunity. >> so this obviously is a still evolving scandal that you and your organization is one of many calling on governor northam to resign. you released a statement calling governor northam's failure to take accountability sickening, which is a word that stuck with me from your statement. it's part of the reason i want to talk with you about this today. as this evolved over the last few day, do you feel like this has just gotten worse as it has strung out, or do you feel like it's evolving in a way that's made you change your thoughts on it at all? >> it's bizarre. you know, first the governor took accountability on friday evening, and then on saturday, in what i must say was an unusual press conference where he retracted whether or not that was him, he then stated that he in fact was in blackface. he then talked about the fact that it's hard to give shoe polish off the

warren saying that he should resign and also to people like derrick johnson he is the president of the civil rights organization the end of a life he tweeted he a black face is always rice is to never no matter the potty we can't stand for such behavior and calling for his resignation ralph northam has strong ties to the black community because he spent many years trying to get this support when the influence of black support of black leaders. that seems to be crashing down now can he keep on to his job and if so how long well it doesn't seem likely given he's lost the support of basically so many people in his party it seems inevitable that he will have to guard one thing that i've been seeing on twitter is people asking well should you pay such a consequence for something stupid you've done and you're possibly always seem to hear about this i guess if you're involved in something like dressing up in these kinds of costumes you would assume your political career is over but it you know it's not it's a tricky issue and it goes to show that no matter what you say and when you say it no

derrick johnson is president and ceo of the naacp. let me play a little devil's advocate based on what we just heard out of virginia. a man should be judged by who he is today, derrick. you heard that young african-american man saying, you know, i'm not sure we should be throwing people away over a photo that was taken 35 years ago. if you were in that room right now as governor northam is, listening to people for their advice, what would you say to him? >> well, you know, unfortunately, he may be surrounded with the reality of the culture of the old south. it is ae duality of the sympathizers ar sympathizers, along with those who want to grow out of the reality. 1984, 20 years after the passage of the civil rights act, 19 years after the passage of the voting rights act, much was in transition. by the mid '70s, many of the public schools became even more segregated with the establishment of private segregated academies. you had many individuals across the south still longing for the uprise of a confederacy. i can only imagine that the

joining me now, derrick johnson, president and ceo of the naacp. thank you for joining us.ust want to show our viewers what you tweeted tonight. blackface in any many is always racist and never okay, no matter the party affiliation. we cannot stand for such behavior, which is why the naacp is calling to the resignation of virginia governor ralph northam. do you -- does his apology, the video apology which was more comprehensive, in which he does not make any excuses and acknowledges the harm that he did, does that have any impact on your thinking about this? >> well, i think it's important that he actually made the statement. however, our position remains the same. 1984, although it feels like it was a long time was long established that african-americans had been treated wrongly by this nation by individuals. to do blackface or a klan uniform when you're in medical school, that's problematic, and we should not allow that to take place in this society, considering the current sense of intolerance that's germinating from the white house. >> have you had an opportunity to exp

derrick johnson, thank you so much.and fight for facts. amid the president's unprecedented takes. keep it right here on "morning joe". keep it right here on "morning joe" minimums and fees. they seem to be the very foundation of your typical bank. capital one is anything but typical. that's why we designed capital one cafes. you can get savings and checking accounts with no fees or minimums. and one of america's best savings rates. to top it off, you can open one from anywhere in 5 minutes. this isn't a typical bank. this is banking reimagined. what's in your wallet? >>> when we go off to war, when we exercise our rights, when we soar to our greatest heights, when we mourn and pray. when our neighbors are at risk. when our nation is threatened. there's someone to gather the facts. to bring you the story. no matter the cost. because knowing empowers us. knowing helps us decide. knowing keeps us free. >> that was the first ever super bowl ad from "the washington post" from president trump's war on the press to the latest

shermichael, what's your reaction to what we just heard from derrick johnson?the governor did admit yesterday it was him and now all of a sudden ecalling senior democrat officials within the state and across the country saying he's not certain it's him because certain classmates said that pictures were mixed up. i doan believe him. i think he needs to do what is right and move on beyond this. look, the folks in virginia particularly african-americans who helped get this guy elected, deserve better. i think it would even be more honorable with it being black history month to see the lieutenant governor become governor of the state and again help the state move on. >> how do you, jonathan, make sense of northam's shifting story? does it even matter what he says after losing the support of so many lawmakers, so many groups and prior allies? >> it's not smart to be changing your story as you go along. he's digging himself in deeper. and it sort of reminds people i think of when tone weiner said i don't know who i texted. maybe somebody was hacking me or something.

the need for this nation to deal with the question of race once and for all," naacp president derrick johnson saturday. "because we have (president donald) trump in the white house, who has created a political landscape of intolerance and racial hatred, this has exposed a wound that has been festering for a while now."the incident came on the first day of black history month and as virginians prepare to mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first africans to the settlement of "i think a lot of black folks are tired of talking," said wes bellamy, a councilman in e, virginia, who has worked for the confederate statues in the another ugly stain on our state's going to have to commit ourselves to making this right - not just words, but with our resources." (jrstone) that was shane dwyer reporting. some on social media are even calling for the governors impeachment. super bowl 53 is in the books... lets get to the highlights... mercedez benz stadium in atlanta.. ready to go... 41-year-old tom brady... playing in his 9th super bowl... 24-year-old jared goff... playing in his 1st 1st pass

naacp president and ceo derrick johnson. do youor brown-dean, also think they should resign?alk about the history of blackface and what it means. symbols are powerful. i spend yesterday at the international civil rights museum in greensboro, north carolina, and there is a display their about the history of blackface, the ways in whihich theater performers use these exaggerated caricatures of black not just communicate there and humanity or to deny their humanity, but to also convey stereotypes about blacks being lazy, b being ignorant, being happy to go around singing and dancing. that is damage, because when you make an entire group of people feel less than human, when you deny them protections of citizenship and create a situation where violence can fester, whether it is physical neglect, whether it is of educational opportunities, or an apology in the criminal justice system. i think it is good that ag herring has admitted to wrongdoing, but admitting to that does not mean he should not be held accountable to not just his constituents but to the people who look to him for

derrick johnson is calling for northam's resignation. can watch the full interview on "this week with george stephanopoulos" at 8:00 here on abc7. >>> happening now, all hands on deck as final preparations are under way for super bowl liii. here's a live look at mercedes-benz stadium in atlanta along with all the details for the game and performances. more than two years of planning has been dedicated to security at the big game. abc news reporter lana zak has a look at the plans. >> reporter: a million visitors are expected in atlanta as the rams and patriots go head to head in super bowl liii, and local, state, and federal agencies are working together to make sure everyone stays safe. >> our officers have been and will continue to be on 12-hour shifts. >> reporter: inside the joint operations center, authorities are able to monitor more than 10,000 cameras located throughout the city. >> we have a very extensive intelligence group that's manned by our federal, state, and local partners also, and they're constantly giving us updates on

one important person who also lost faith in the governor is derrick johnson. >> here is what he toldna cabrera earlier. >> just first want to get your initial reaction to northam's refusal to resign and his claim that he had no idea this photo was even in his yearbook. >> well, you know, whether it was him in blackface, he was at the party, in a room, or the fact that it was in the yearbook, it is a demonstration of his lack of -- in terms of race relation. blackface in 1984 was a problem as it is today. being an individual from the south, it is a -- it is unfortunately a cultural norm for too many people to accept racism. and for him not to acknowledge this on the front end, to identify this as a problem, to object to the yearbook, having blackface in the yearbook, particularly on his page, it speaks to the character of the individual and that individual, the inability to understand that racism is a problem, not only in virginia, not only in the south, but across this country. >> this yearbook is almost 35 years old now. do you think northam has done enough in the last three decades

president derrick johnson also said he should resign. >> whether he actively participated or passively present. he did not up until this point acknowledged that this took place, objected to that behavior or stated that you know i was brought up in a different upbringing and i was a part of a southern culture that embraced this racist, vile behavior and i'm a changed man now. >> alcindor: next in line to replace northam is the current lieutenant governor, a 39-year- old african-american lawyer. last month, in the virginia senate, fairfax protested the celebration of robert e. lee's birthday. but, fairfax also faces potential trouble. a woman alleges he sexually assaulted her. fairfax said today the claim is a "uncorroborated smear." to discuss how governor northam fits into a larger conversation about race in america, i'm joined by mark anthony neal. he's a professor of african and african american studies at duke university and the author of several books including "new black man." also joining me is vann newkirk. he writes about politics and policy for the atlantic. >>> now, thank you

but tonight this hour on our show, just a few minutes ago, the national president of the naacp, derrick johnson, on our air called on mark herring to resign as virginia attorney general. the naacp had previously called for -- excuse me, for governor ralph northam to resign. the national president of naacp tonight extending that tonight to the attorney general of virginia mark herring, saying that he too should step down from office. that does it for us tonight. we'll see you again tomorrow. now it's time for "the last word" with lawrence o'donnell. good evening, lawrence. >> good evening, rachel. now i have to wonder what is going to develop on that story during this hour. it is just extraordinary. every day you look up and it changes dramatically. >> the fact that there are now different scandals enveloping all three of those top statewide officials, each of those scandals in its own right would be a story that is national news, but they're all cross-infecting one another, right? the winds of each of those are buffeting each other and they're all developing together. >> it's impossible to make

. >> derrick johnson, president of the naacp, thank you very much for joining us. >> thank you for the opportunity. >>> cnn's jessica dean is live now in richmond for us. jessica, walk us through this. what reason specifically did the governor give for initially saying it was him in the photo, when he apologized for it last night? >> reporter: yeah, ana, that's exactly right. i asked him that very question, i said, you do realize it's hard for people to believe you when yesterday you were taking responsibility and today, less than 24 hours later, you're saying it wasn't me. it is a very hard thing for people to wrap their head around. and so let me just start you at the beginning of what he said. he says that the photo was brought to him, that he take a look at it and said, that can't be me. and then felt compelled to reach out to people he believed had been hurt by it. and then he says after he did that, which was a written statement which we have aired, which was a taped statement which we have shown you all, he says, then after that, after reflecting with his family, reaching out to

derrick johnson is calling for the governor's resignation. you can watch the full interview on "this week with george stephanopoulos" at 8:00 right here on abc7. >>> happening now, it's all hands on deck as final preparations are under way for super bowl liii. here's a live look right now at mercedes-benz stadium in atlanta. along with all the details for the game and performances, more than two years of planning has been dedicated to security at the big game. abc news reporter lana zak has a look at the plans. >> reporter: a million visitors are expected in atlanta as the rams and patriots go head to head in super bowl liii, and local, state, and federal agencies are working together to make sure everyone stays safe. >> our officers have been and will continue to be on 12-hour shifts. >> reporter: inside the joint operations center, authorities are able to monitor more than 10,000 cameras located throughout the city. >> we have a very extensive intelligence group that's manned way our federal, state, and local partners also, and they're cons

our first guest this morning, the president of the naacp, derrick johnson. thank you for joining us. do you see any way the governor can survive this? >> i don't, george. i see maybe there was a scenario where it wasn't him in blackface. maybe he had no input on the yearbook format. maybe he, you know, just didn't consider it, but he has had a lot of time to respond at this juncture. so whether he was in the room, at the party, that page -- that photo was on his page, and then you compound that with the fact that he did do black face performance to michael jackson. that's fine, but he has had ample opportunity as lieutenant governor during the charlottesville incident and many other times prior to now to disclose that he has changed his ways. he recognized the error of his past and he is doing things differently and acknowledged that. >> so just to be clear, if it turned out he is not in that photo, and that wasn't him and he had nothing to do with that photo going on his page, that would make no difference to you? >> at this juncture, no. he finished medica

the naacp president and ceo, derrick johnson, thank you. >>> still ahead, all the president's men, well of them, either have deadlines or hearings this week. the latest on what could be a big week in the russia investigation next. might mean a trip back to the doctor's office just for a shot. but why go back there when you can stay home with neulasta onpro? strong chemo can put you at risk of serious infection. in a key study neulasta reduced the risk of infection from 17% to 1%, a 94% decrease. neulasta onpro is designed to deliver neulasta the day after chemo and is used by most patients today. neulasta is for certain cancer patients receiving strong chemotherapy. do not take neulasta if you're allergic to it or neupogen (filgrastim). an incomplete dose could increase infection risk. ruptured spleen, sometimes fatal as well as serious lung problems, allergic reactions, kidney injuries and capillary leak syndrome have occurred. report abdominal or shoulder tip pain, trouble breathing or allergic reactions to your doctor right away. in patients with sickle cell disorders, serious, somet