The Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell is “done hiding†amid her continuing controversy, which led to host Chris Harrison stepping back. Kirkconnell, who’s currently top three in Bachelor Matt James’s quest for love, posted a seven-minute vlog to her Instagram feed on Thursday addressing anti-racism, or rather, her lack thereof, since apologizing for offensive posts this month. “I’ve gotten a lot of people asking me, ‘Well, what have you done to change since then?’ and I’ve also had a lot of people message me saying that they aren’t understanding why people are so upset, but they want to, and they’ve asked for resources, which I think is great,†she began. “But then there’s also people that’s messaging me saying, ‘You’ve done nothing wrong, don’t listen to people.’ I’m just, I’m tired of getting all of this and not saying anything.â€
The statement comes a day after former Bachelorette and the first-ever Black star Rachel Lindsay called Kirkconnell’s recent snap of an anti-racist book behind her fresh manicure “vapid.†In her video, Kirkconnell says she’s no longer afraid of coming off “performative.†“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 and try and do what I can to take a step in the right direction,†she continued. In her Instagram Story, she shared “IG handles†for figures like Ibram X. Kendi, Austin Channing Brown, and racial-justice accounts, as well as “links to explain my offenses.†She also shared a link in her bio where she’ll be adding resources overtime. Before ending the video, Kirkconnell directly addressed white fans who keep defending her. “Please stop staying that I did nothing wrong,†she said. “If you really want to support me, encourage me to do better.â€