UPDATE 8/26/16 @ 12:30 p.m.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- The former employee of the West Virginia Attorney General's Office who was dismissed after her participation in a controversial video is speaking out for the first time to WSAZ following the incident.
Carrie Bowe was dismissed for her participation in a video from 2012 titled "Stop White Genocide." She was the assistant to the press secretary of the AG’s Office.
You can view the YouTube video at the bottom of this article.
WSAZ reached out to Bowe and she said in a statement, "I’m embarrassed and heartbroken over the video. Embarrassed that I didn’t do proper research and questioning over the video’s true intent and the finished product reflected a system of beliefs in which I, in no way, condone or believe. I’m heartbroken that my likeness and words have been used to halter what needs to be real dialogue and education about race relations in this country."
You can read Bowe's full statement at the bottom of this article.
The Attorney General's Office released a statement saying, ""The employee in question is no longer a member of this office."
"The employee's conduct and statements, which occurred years before being employed by the Attorney General's Office, were not previously disclosed until today, which is contrary to the transparency requirements for being a member of this office, do not reflect the opinion or the perspective of the Attorney General or this office."
In addition to what Bowe told WSAZ, she also issued an apology on her Facebook page.
Here is her full statement to WSAZ:
"I’m embarrassed and heartbroken over the video. Embarrassed that I didn’t do proper research and questioning over the video’s true intent and the finished product reflected a system of beliefs in which I, in no way, condone or believe. I’m heartbroken that my likeness and words have been used to halter what needs to be real dialogue and education about race relations in this country.
When the video was originally shot, I was doing a lot of freelance modeling work for friends and local artists. The person who shot this asked me to be in the video, because of my looks, quite frankly. I didn’t know him well, clearly, but I felt like I knew him enough that the video’s purpose was aimed at further discussion on race relations from a white perspective.
What I mean by this, is that growing up, you could not question why some races could talk or behave a certain way and it was seen as ok, whereby if the behavior was repeated by a white person, it was automatically racist. As a child and a teenager, the inability to even question this was confusing and, really, the opposite of the honest dialog we need to have in order to understand different cultures and their history better.
My personal intent was to bring this forward and have some authentic dialog, yet all in the context of a role I was playing for this video.
Ignorance is the only way to describe my repeating lines that had historical reference, of which I didn’t understand or even know. Again, had I been smarter and more diligent, I would have known the true intent of this video, and realized that my words were being used for very different reasons.
The fact remains, however, that my participation in this video, highlights how latent and deep rooted racism can be- to where we don’t even understand how offensive and hurtful our behavior can be.
I understand and accept responsibility for my ignorance. I can only hope that people find the grace to forgive me, but regardless of whether they do, I hope they can use this as an opportunity to discuss how our words and actions, regardless of intent, can continue a system of thinking and beliefs that only continue to sets us back in terms of understanding and accepting one another."
ORIGINAL STORY 8/25/16 @ 10:34 p.m.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- The assistant to the press secretary at the West Virginia Attorney General's Office has been let go.
Carrie Bowe was dismissed for her participation in a video from 2012 entitled "Stop White Genocide."
The Attorney General's Office released a statement saying, ""The employee in question is no longer a member of this office."
"The employee's conduct and statements, which occurred years before being employed by the Attorney General's Office, were not previously disclosed until today, which is contrary to the transparency requirements for being a member of this office, do not reflect the opinion or the perspective of the Attorney General or this office."
Bowe issued an apology on her Facebook page.
