Southern Charm star Kathryn Dennis’ slave owner ancestor John C. Calhoun’s statue taken down in Charleston
THE city of Charleston, South Carolina, has removed a statue of John C. Calhoun, an ancestor of Southern Charm star Kathryn Dennis and proponent of slavery.
Kathryn is one of Calhoun's direct descendants on her mother's side.
Calhoun was the seventh vice president of the United States under Presidents John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson.
He owned dozens of slaves and was vocal about his beliefs that minority rights did not extend to enslaved black people; he believed that slavery was not a "necessary evil" but instead a "positive good" that benefited everyone.
Officials voted unanimously on Tuesday to remove the statue from the city's downtown square, as part of an ongoing wave of actions across the country in response to the Black Lives Matter movement.
After the vote, the city's Mayor shared: "We have a sense of unity moving forward for racial conciliation and for unity in this city. God bless you all."
In a series of messages sent over social media to Mika, Kathryn wrote: "Why are you calling us 'white people?' that is so racist."
Kathryn apologized days later for her comments.
In a statement on Instagram, she wrote: "I want to acknowledge that using a monkey emoji in my text was offensive, and from the bottom of my heart I sincerely apologize to anyone and everyone I hurt."
She continued: "I was tone deaf to see how it could be perceived.
"Although the context was not my intension, there are not 'if ands or buts' that excuse me.
"I did not give it thought, and it was and is wrong. I know I am not that person. I know and will do better."