A tight race for the New York House of Representatives was rocked by shock in October when images of the Republican crowd in blackface emerged as part of Halloween costumes years ago.
Rep. Michael Lawler, R-NY, who is white, is dressed like pop sensation Michael Jackson, with bronzer to darken his face in an October 2006 photo reported by by the New York Times. Lawler does not dispute the authenticity of the photo and apologized to anyone who offended him, although he said he did not intend to wear black.
“As has been well documented – recently by the Daily Beast – I was a ‘Huge Fan’ of Michael Jackson, so much so that I was mentioned by name in his biography for my really support him and in Jackson . My family, I loved Michael’s music, I was in awe of him as an actor and his influence on the pop tradition,” Lawler said in a statement. “One of my fondest memories is attending at his live show at Madison Sq Backyard before his sudden death.
“When I was trying to imitate Michael’s legendary dance moves at the college Halloween party eighteen years ago, the furthest thing from my mind was the use of a dark black. Let’s be clear, this is not it. Instead, my outfit was designed as the most sincere version of flattering, a true homage to one of my childhood idols from when I was little and trying to walk on the moon in my mother’s dress .
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“I’m a student of history and to anyone offended by the photo, I’m sorry. All you can do is live and learn, and I appreciate everyone’s grace along the way,” he said.
Lawler, 38, a moderate Hudson Valley lawmaker in his first term, is seen as a rising star at the GOP convention running for re-election in a suburban swing district. His Democratic opponent in New York’s 17th Congressional District is Representative Mondaire Jones, a black man. Jones’ campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
The images show the photo taken by producer Michael Lawler in October 2005, dressed as pop star Michael Jackson with bronzer to darken his face. Lawler did not dispute the authenticity of the images. (Published by the New York Instances)
The race is one of 22 contests that could determine which party controls the House of Representatives next year, according to the Fox News Power Rankings.
Lawler is not the first politician to be embroiled in recent controversy over a costume similar to blackface. Ralph Northam, a former Democrat, faced calls to resign after a photo from his medical school yearbook surfaced showing men in Ku Klux Klan dresses and blackface. Northam denied being in the picture, but admitted that he once used shoe polish to darken his face during a dance competition in the 1980s, when he, too, was dressed as Jackson.
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was also the subject of controversy in 2019 when images surfaced of him in blackface in 2001. The Prime Minister said in an interview after he could not give a definitive figure on how several times his face was black.
Lawler was photographed in his Jackson outfit in New York while he was a sophomore at Manhattan College, now Manhattan College, a Catholic school in the Bronx where only three percent of the student body is black, according to the New York Instances.
Lawler, who was valedictorian in 2009, was known for his love of Michael Jackson, the newspaper said.
When Lawler was a high school senior in 2005, he flew from New York to California to attend Jackson’s criminal trial. The musician had been accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy at his Neverland resort, although Jackson was eventually acquitted.
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Michael Jackson performing “Thriller” on stage at Madison Sq Backyard as part of his Unhealthy Tour in 1988. (George De Sota (ID 5073478)/Redferns)
Jackson biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli described in his book how he helped Lawler get into the audience room, according to the everyday animal. Taraborrelli wrote in “Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Insanity, The Whole Story” that the teenager had been “so disgusted” by the evidence against Jackson that “he could not help suppressing something shameful under breath”.
According to Taraborrelli’s account, Lawler was accosted by court officials and “thrown out of the audience room.”
These images were posted on Facebook and show Lawler wearing a jacket reminiscent of the one worn by Jackson in the “Thriller” music video.
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The New York Times cited a person familiar with the suit who said Lawler used bronzer borrowed from classmates to darken his skin.
Lawler’s victory in 2022 was one of several Republican gains in key New York districts, despite the state’s overall blue status. The 17th includes four suburban counties outside of New York City: Dutchess, Putnam, Rockland, and Westchester.
Fox Information Digital’s Emma Colton and Emily Robertson contributed to this report.
2024-10-04 18:22:14
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