'Bachelor' contestant Rachel Kirkconnell says she's going to 'amplify' antiracist voices on her Instagram page
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"Bachelor" contestant Rachel Kirkconnell said she wants to uplift antiracist voices in a new video.
"I think the first big step in all of this is white people ... taking accountability," she said.
Kirkconnell was recently accused of liking racially-insensitive posts on social media.
Embattled "Bachelor" contestant Rachel Kirkconnell said in a new Instagram video that she wants to use her platform to "amplify" antiracist voices.
Kirkconnell, who's currently competing on Matt James' airing season of "The Bachelor," came under fire in recent weeks after being accused of "liking" racially-insensitive posts on social media and even attending an Antebellum-themed party in college.
According to the reality star, she's received "a lot" of messages since the accusations emerged, and wanted to address them outright. Kirkconnell also told followers that she's going to share antiracist resources on her page.
"I think the first big step in all of this is white people stepping up and taking accountability," she said in the seven-minute-long video. "Things will never change if we don't all work together."
Kirkconnell said she's "been hesitant to post links, and books, and any resources" because she doesn't "want people thinking that it's performative."
"There are things out there that completely validate your opinions and your anger towards me," she said, adding that being scared of criticism "doesn't help anyone or anything."
"I want and need to use my privilege and my platform - that I so do not deserve - just to shine a light on these issues," Kirkconnell said.
She wrapped up her message by urging the people who've been defending her amid the controversy to "please stop."
"That's not our place to tell people what they can and can't be offended about. That's wrong. and that's part of the problem," Kirkconnell said. "So please stop saying that I did nothing wrong. That's not true."
Kirkconnell concluded the video by telling her followers, "If you really want to support me, then encourage me to do better, and encourage those around you to do better."
"Thank you for holding me accountable, and I am so sorry," she added.
Kirkconnell's video came several weeks after she posted a written statement to Instagram addressing the controversy.
"While there have been rumors circulating, there have also been truths that have come to light that I need to address. I hear you, and I'm here to say I was wrong," Kirkconnell wrote in her February 11 apology.
"At one point, I didn't recognize how offensive and racist my actions were, but that doesn't excuse them," she said. "My age or when it happened does not excuse anything. They are not OK or acceptable in any sense. I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist."
Following his response to the accusations surrounding Kirkconnell (in which he condemned critics of Kirkconnell during an interview with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay), "Bachelor" host Chris Harrison even stepped down from his hosting duties.
And James, who made history after becoming the franchise's first Black Bachelor, issued a statement on Monday calling the past few weeks "some of the most challenging in my life."
He called Kirkconnell's photos and Harrison's interview "incredibly disappointing," and said the recent events had been "devastating and heartbreaking."
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