Actress Ellie Kemper apologizes for participating in "racist" debutante ball
Actress Ellie Kemper has apologized for attending a controversial ball at the age of 19. Photos of Kemper at the Veiled Prophet Ball recently resurfaced on social media, and people quickly criticized the St. Louis organization's "racist" past and ties to white supremacy.
"This century-old organization that hosted the Debutante Ball had an undeniably racist, sexist and elitist past," Kemper said in a statement posted to Instagram on Monday. "I didn't know about this history at the time, but ignorance is no excuse. I was old enough to have educated myself before engaging in it."
Kemper, best known for her comedic roles in "The Office" and the Netflix series "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," has been lambasted on social media after users recently brought up her participation in the ball. Kemper was crowned "Queen of Love and Beauty" at the 1999 event, which was seen as a budding celebration combined with the spirit of the Mardi Gras parade.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Twitter users brought up the group's history in St. Louis, including the fact that it had no black members until 1979. According to a 2014 Atlantic article, the secret society was originally created "as a reaction to the growing labor unrest in the city, much of it involving collaboration between white and black workers" and was intended to help both the lower and upper-class workers. The reminder was to use heavy symbolism. The people of the square where they stood.
While the Veiled Prophet organization was not associated with the Ku Klux Klan, some on social media began to refer to Kemper as the "KKK Princess", as an image that claims to be the first time depicting a disguised prophet who is part of the Klan. Very similar to the robe and hood.
Veiled Prophet: Symbol of wealth, power and, to some, racism https://t.co/FFwIYATwQx pic.twitter.com/fIjfPrSjvT
In his statement, Kemper "categorically" denounced white supremacy, but acknowledged that it is part of a system of white privilege.
Kemper wrote, "When you become the subject of Internet criticism for telling yourself that your opponents are getting it all wrong, there is a very natural temptation." “But at some point last week, I realized that a lot of the forces behind the criticism are forces that I have lived my life with the support and consent of. If my experience indicates that past organizations and institutions take these beliefs into account. If so, I have to look at this experience in a positive light."
Kemper apologized to "everyone I've let down," and said that in the future she will "listen, continue to educate myself, and use my privileges to support a better society I think we can." capable of becoming."