Rachael Kirkconnell is trying to distance herself from the controversy that swirled around her on The Bachelor, promoting brands on Instagram while continuing to stand up against injustice. She clearly wants to take advantage of her showing on the popular ABC franchise, but knows she can’t ignore the elephant in the room of her past racism.
Since the season ended and Matt James made it clear that Kirkconnell needed to educate herself as they forge their new paths ahead apart, Kirkconnell has continued to support James. He has been the victim of racist insults, and Kirkconnell has made it clear that although she loved James and thought he was her person, he does not deserve hate. She has needed to be tactical in the way she moves forward with her public life, not immediately going back to posting about sponsored content while not disappearing either. She has seemed genuine in her desire to be an advocate for change, though it is ultimately up to the communities her actions hurt the most to decide when and whether to forgive her. In the meantime, fans will likely only see her posts on social media to stay up to date with who she is dating next; it likely won’t be on national television.
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It has been a week since Kirkconnell last posted about The Bachelor season. She’s made a couple fashion posts since, wearing a “shacket” and a close-up of spring wear with the nail on her ring finger painted with spring flowers. In her Instagram Story on Friday, Kirkconnell promoted Super Coffee and Black-owned business We The Urban. She also spoke out against hate by tagging @notforthemnyc, which spreads the message “Racism is ugly, so let’s end the ugliness.”
Kirkconnell took a break from social media when the news started to come out about her past racist actions, but since her apology after Chris Harrison’s insensitive remarks, she has tried to use her platform for a good cause. She supported a community “dedicated to dismantling racism” called Hate Is a Virus.
Although Kirkconnell lost James, she has not been cancelled, as some might have proclaimed. She was held accountable for her actions in that is now single despite “winning” the season, and continues to take accountability with her social media posts. Time will ultimately tell if Kirkconnell’s words are sincere, but thus far, she has said and done all the right things to get back in the good graces of those who may have written her off midway through James’ season.
Instagram: Rachael Kirkconnell
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