Oklahoma State student Kandice Burgess, who claims to have given speeches and worked against racism, has apologized for posting a photo to Snapchat of herface covered in a dark-colored facial mask with the caption, “when he says he only likes black girls” on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
In three separate Facebook posts, she issued an unequivocal apology, denied the photo was racist, and claimed to have never heard of “blackface.”
“I am deeply sorry for those that I have offended. My intentions were not at all to be racist. For anyone who knows me, you know I am not racist,” she wrote in one post.
In another, however, she wrote that the photo wasn’t racist because “it is also clear that there was no harm intended. I did not say or imply anything about whites being superior to blacks. I did not say anything negative about blacks. With complete sincerity, I did not mean to offend anyone. Until today, I have never heard of ‘black face.'”
Finally, she wrote in a third post, “I performed a careless act without any consideration of others. I take full responsibility for my actions, and with that, I want to apologize. With all of my heart, I am sorry. There was no part of me that aimed to hurt or offend anyone….I hope I can learn more about the African American/black culture and help educate others who may make the same mistakes as myself.”
In an apparent effort to demonstrate her non-racism, Burgess also posted a link to an essay she posted to LinkedIn in July, in which she lamented the difficulties of being white.
“But researching and studying people, comparing their races will only create more segregation,” she wrote. “All we are doing is creating more segregation. For example, right now there are fully black colleges, fully black school clubs and organizations, and fully black fraternities and sororities. I understand the reason these exist, but bear in mind, this is not creating better world, but creating different and more forms of segregation.
“I help make up the 70.7% students who are white here at my college, but as a white girl, my opportunities are limited. Let’s not even consider the dozens of clubs, organizations, or sororities that I cannot get into, but sometimes I can’t even attend certain events. I also receive less consideration than minorities concerning jobs and scholarships. Affirmative action is a joke! If my ancestors robbed a bank, would it make sense if I had to go to jail for them? Of course not; that would be absurd. So why do I receive less consideration because of my skin color? Like I’ve said before, if we are comparing, we will always find that some race is on top, but why does that even matter?”
Several other Oklahoma State students came under fire the same day for a similar photo.
