(Richmond, Va.) (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam acknowledged Friday that he appears in a photo on his 1984 medical school yearbook page that shows a person in blackface and another wearing a Ku Klux Klan robe.

The revelation of the photograph prompted the Republican Party of Virginia to call for his resignation. Northam issued the following statement as an apology:

“Earlier today, a website published a photograph of me from my 1984 medical school yearbook in a costume that is clearly racist and offensive.

“I am deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now.

“This behavior is not in keeping with who I am today and the values I have fought for throughout my career in the military, in medicine, and in public service. But I want to be clear, I understand how this decision shakes Virginians’ faith in that commitment.

“I recognize that it will take time and serious effort to heal the damage this conduct has caused. I am ready to do that important work. The first step is to offer my sincerest apology and to state my absolute commitment to living up to the expectations Virginians set for me when they elected me to be their Governor.”

Northam did not identify which costume he was wearing in the photo. At this point, it is unclear what action, if any, the General Assembly will take.

If Northam were to resign, as many have demanded, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, who is African-American, would assume the governor’s office as Virginia’s second African-American governor in history.

Fairfax made headlines in recent weeks for stepping down from the dais in the General Assembly in protest of the Virginia Senate honoring Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Northam has recently come under fire from Republicans for supporting looser restrictions on late-term abortions.