[ad_1]
by: Becky Willeke, Nexstar Media Wire
Posted: June 9, 2021 / 03:51 AM CDT / Updated: June 9, 2021 / 03:51 AM CDT
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 05: Ellie Kemper attends the 2019 Publicity Board Dinner on December 5, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS – An elite St. Louis society that banned black members until 1979 apologizes after actress Ellie Kemper called the group “unmistakably racist” in an Instagram post. It all comes after the St. Louis native was caught in a Twitter storm over her ties to the organization.
The statement says that upon reflection, the Veiled Prophet (VP) organization recognizes its past and acknowledges the criticisms leveled against it. The group also apologized for the actions and images in its story.
Buc-ees arrives in Tennessee; what you need to know about the friendliest beaver house
The Veiled Prophet organization has become the center of attention recently after Ellie Kemper’s fans found a 2014 article in The Atlantic about the group. They then learned that the “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” star was crowned Queen of Love and Beauty at the St. Louis Fair in 1999. Until 1992, the celebration was called the Veiled Prophet’s Fair, a event hosted by some of the city’s wealthiest families. .
Fans quickly took to Twitter for comment, with some Twitter users labeling her aKKK Princess.
There is no known affiliation between the Ku Klux Klan and the Veiled Prophet Organization, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, but writer Devin Thomas OSheasaidin a 2019 interview that for many black residents of St. Louis by the end of the 19th century, the covered face and wizarding costume of the first veiled prophet would have been very clearly decipherable as a first wave Ku Klux Klansman.
On Monday, Schmidt posted a statement on Instagram apologizing to people she disappointed. She wrote in part:
Hi guys when i was 19 i decided to go to a debutante ball in my hometown. The century-old organization that hosted the debutante ball had an unmistakably racist, sexist and elitist past. I was not aware of this story at the time, but ignorance is no excuse.
Ellie Kemper
The VP Organization statement said, “Our lack of cultural awareness was and is bad. We are committed to change, allowing our actions to match the organization we are today.
The first celebration of the Veiled Prophet took place in October 1878 after the group was founded by a former Confederate officer named Alonzo Slayback, according to the Post-Dispatch.
The VP’s ball, which was the subject of protests in the 1960s and 70s, had to leave a city-owned auditorium after locals accused the organization of being elitist and racist, denouncing the VP’s refusal to admit black members, the newspaper reported.
Here is the full statement from the Veiled Prophet Organization:
After reflection, the Veiled Prophet Organization recognizes our past and recognizes the criticisms leveled at us. We sincerely apologize for the actions and images in our history. In addition, our lack of cultural awareness was and is bad. We are committed to change, allowing our actions to match the organization we are today.
Today’s VP organization categorically rejects racism in all its forms. Today’s Vice President is committed to the diversity and equity of our members, community service initiatives and support to the region. Our hope is that as we move forward the community sees us for who we are today and together we can move this region forward for everyone.
We are and always will be committed to the success of the region and to making St Louis a better place for everyone to live.
Organization of the Veiled Prophet
[ad_2]
picture credit