Will you accept this rose opportunity learn the history of the Antebellum south and how defending the nature of such a ‘party’ is both disappointing and painful for many to watch?!
The first black Bachelor, Matt James, made a statement regarding the recent happenings regarding finalist, Rachael Kirkconnell, The Bachelor‘s host Chris Harrison, and former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay calling the situation “incredibly disappointing,” “devastating,” and “heartbreaking.”
In case you need a quick catch up:
After photos surfaced of Rachael K. at an Antebellum party in college, Chris joined Rachel L. on Extra and wrongly spoke “in a manner that perpetuates racism.”
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Matt speaks out:
The real estate broker and entrepreneur took to Instagram to share his journey in processing everything that’s happened in the last several weeks.
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Moving forward:
Chris has taken accountability for his “excusing historical racism” and continual use of the term “woke police.” He’s even taking a step away from Bachelor Nation “for a period of time” during his journey to become an “anti-racist.”
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According to ET online, Rachel L. is having difficulty accepting Chris’ apology. “When I finished that interview with Chris Harrison, he had no problems with it. He was fine. He texted me after. He appreciated the conversation. He was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll probably get a little flack.’ He thought it was great that we could disagree but do it in a civil way.”
The media personality/ attorney continued, “It wasn’t until the backlash came next, it wasn’t until people started talking, people started demanding and calling for different things that he then apologized to me and then apologized publicly.”
In a statement on the ‘gram, Rachael K. apologized and hopes to “earn your forgiveness through my future actions.”
While Matt reflects on his experience as The Bachelor, his “greatest prayer is that this is an inflection point that results in real and institutional change for the better.”
