PHOTOSLeah Block Apologizes For Racist ‘Bachelorette’ Tweet After Rachel Lindsay Calls Her Out
Leah Block has apologized for her racist tweet about Rachel Lindsay’s season of The Bachelorette. While the dating show was airing on Monday night, the former Bachelor contestant, who was on Ben Higgins’ season of the show, tweeted a racially insensitive remark about the season’s large black cast.
"I'm sitting here watching @BacheloretteABC and my roommate just sat down on the couch and said, 'What is this? @LoveAndHipHop_? DEAD," she wrote in the now-deleted tweet.
However, after coming under fire for her tone-deaf comment, and even getting shut down by the Bachelorette herself on Twitter (#clapback), Leah took to her Facebook on Wednesday to share a letter of apology.
“I come forward honestly and openly, to extend my sincere apology for the tweet from my account on Monday, June 19th regarding the current season of The Bachelorette,” she explained. “The tweet came from a place that humored the failure of representation of minorities in reality TV and belittled the significance of Rachel's presence on the show.”
“I acknowledge that entertaining this kind of humor is a passive and careless action that stifles the progress the black community has made in television and continue to make in this industry,” Leah continued. “It is vitally important to prioritize these experiences and help destroy the oppressive forces that threaten minority communities. My tweet did neither of those things and I see that as a personal failure.”
“In my initial Twitter responses to concerned Bachelor Nation fans, I was defensive. The attacks directed at me felt to be responses to the epidemic of injustice we have towards individuals of marginalized identities - especially the black community,” she said. “I accept responsibility for my ignorance and as I move forward I will engage in these issues - so I can become an informed ally who would never consider that tweet to be funny in the first place. Our Society should have no place for hate that targets any minority group. We can't make the future better until we make ourselves better. And I'm starting now.”
What do you think of Leah’s apology? Sound off in the comments!
