Actress Ellie Kemper apologized on Monday for her participation years ago in a St. Louis ball with controversial origins.
Best known for her roles in The Office and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Kemper was criticized heavily on social media in recent days for her participation in an event known as the Veiled Prophet ball where she was crowned “Queen of Love and Beauty” in 1999. Kemper was 19 years old at the time.
“The century-old organization that hosted the debutante ball had an unquestionably racist, sexist, and elitist past,” she wrote in a Monday Instagram post. “I was not aware of this history at the time, but ignorance is no excuse. I was old enough to have educated myself before getting involved.”
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“I want to apologize to the people I’ve disappointed, and I promise that moving forward I will listen, continue to educate myself, and use my privilege in support of the better society I think we’re capable of becoming,” she added.
The Veiled Prophet event is held annually in St. Louis, Missouri, and the organization also sponsors a parade in the community. A mysterious man in a veiled costume crowns a queen and has historically presented her with a valuable piece of jewelry, according to the Atlantic.
Though the group does not have ties to the Ku Klux Klan, the outfit of the first veiled prophet in 1878, as depicted by the Missouri Republican, bears a striking resemblance to a Klansman uniform.
Critics also point out the organization, which started a community service initiative in 2003, didn’t have any black members until 1979, according to multiple outlets.
The first celebration was held following the infamous Great Railroad Strike of 1877, in which St. Louis workers, both black and white, were participants.
“More than just a series of gaudy floats traversing the city streets, the parade and all its pomp was meant to reinforce the values of the elite on the working class of the city,” Scott Beauchamp wrote in 2014, citing historian Thomas Spencer. “The symbol of a mystical, benevolent figure whose identity is a mystery — only two Veiled Prophets have ever had their identity revealed — was meant to serve as a sort of empty shell that contained the accumulated privilege and power of the status quo.”
“Upon reflection, the Veiled Prophet Organization acknowledges our past and recognizes the criticism levied our way. We sincerely apologize for the actions and images from our history. Additionally, our lack of cultural awareness was and is wrong,” the group said in a statement addressing the controversy, adding that it “categorically rejects racism, in any form.”
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“I love my Ellie,” Tituss Burgess, Kemper’s black co-star on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, said on Instagram on Monday, reposting her apology. “Oh, & P.S. Next time, just ask me, I’ll tell ya what to do.”
In her post, Kemper also addressed being the focus of criticism.
“There is a very natural temptation when you become the subject of internet criticism to tell yourself that your detractors are getting it all wrong,” the actress added in her post. “But at some point last week, I realized that a lot of the forces behind the criticism are forces that I’ve spent my life supporting and agreeing with. If my experience is an indication that organizations and institutions with pasts that fall short of these beliefs should be held to account, then I have to see this experience in a positive light.”
