LYNCHBURG, Va. – The voices of those demanding an apology from Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. continue to grow.
In late May, Falwell tweeted his opposition to Gov. Ralph Northam’s mask requirement.
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Just so folks outside Virginia unfamiliar with the pic on the mask understand: it is from the personal page of the medical school yearbook of @GovernorVA . Just a way to shine a spotlight on the fact that Democrats are and always have been the real racists in this country. https://t.co/9YKwTrgIDj
— Jerry Falwell (@JerryFalwellJr) May 27, 2020
While stating his opinion about the decision, he shared a picture of a mask he would wear, which features the picture from Northam’s medical college yearbook allegedly showing him in blackface.
Now, a petition demanding that Falwell apologize has been signed by more then 35,000 people.
The petition, named “Alumni Letter to Jerry Falwell Jr #LUDeservesBetter,” is in correlation with a letter sent to Falwell from a group of Black Liberty University alumni.
In the letter, it states, “We ask you to withdraw your racist tweet immediately and make a public apology.”
Falwell has already stated that he would not apologize for the tweet.
People have asked why I won’t apologize for reminding people of the @vagovernor racist past in a recent tweet. It’s because that same Gov just ended tuition assistance grants for the 27% of @LibertyU online students who are African-American! Put your$ where your mouth is Gov. Sad
— Jerry Falwell (@JerryFalwellJr) June 1, 2020
In the aftermath of the original tweet, a Liberty University online instructor resigned, citing the tweet.
Also, Lynchburg restaurant, Fifth and Federal’s reply to the tweet became the rallying cry for a protest and later a riot in Lynchburg on May 31.