Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring breaks his silence after admitting to wearing blackface decades ago in college, according to NBC Washington.
It's just one of the controversies rocking the Commonwealth in recent weeks.
"This has obviously been a difficult time for Virginians last few weeks," said Herring.
Herring made his first public appearance Sunday since admitting he wore blackface at a party in 1980.
"I am so very sorry ... something I did when I was 19 contributed to pain and disappointment," said Herring.
Herring was a guest at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Leesburg, where there was an interfaith event addressing race relations and racial injustices.
He said he'd grown from his mistake decades ago.
"I knew it was wrong and why .. dehumanization people of color and minimization of oppressive history," said Herring.
Herring had been among the elected leaders who called for Virginia governor Ralph Northam to resign after a photo surfaced from Northam's medical school yearbook showing someone in blackface and someone in a KKK robe.
Both men have resisted calls to sign.
Herring was praised for appearing at the event, and he said he hopes positive change will happen as a result of the controversy.