The Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau is going on an apology tour after several pictures of him wearing blackface surfaced just before Canadian elections. While on the road, he apologized to two Black twin girls after they asked him about the photos.
Trudeau made an appearance on the Facebook Watch show “New Mom, Who Dis?” and admitted to a group of schoolchildren that he darkened his skin as part of a costume more than once. He went on to say his actions were wrong and harmful. “I didn’t know it back then, but I know it now, and I’m sorry that I hurt people,” he said. “I had a good conversation with my kids around taking responsibility for mistakes and making sure that we’re always looking out for each other, and not teasing each other, and being respectful of each other.”
At the time that the photo was taken, Trudeau was 29 and teaching at a private school. Since the photos emerged, he has repeatedly apologized when asked about images by reporters. “I shouldn’t have done it. I should have known better, but I didn’t. And I’m really sorry,” the 47-year-old said shortly after the story broke. “I take responsibility for my decision to do that … it was something that I didn’t think was racist at the time, but now I recognize it was something racist to do.”
