Ellie Kemper, star of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and The Office, is trending on Twitter for startling reasons. It's come out that she was named the Veiled Prophet Queen in 1999.
The title is under speculation regarding its affiliation to the KKK, but that is only based on allegations. Twitter users familiar with the organization linked it to wealthy Catholic elites in St. Louis, Missouri, ones who attempted to silence railroad workers at its inception.
History Of The Veiled Prophet
According to an article by The Atlantic, the Veiled Prophet was founded in the late 1800s by Charles Slayback. They conducted elaborate events and rituals that only included a confidential guest list.
They instilled fear on the working class that was striking at the time. The journalist who conducted the research, Scott Beauchamp, related the appearance of the mystified Veiled Prophet as, "strikingly similar in appearance to a Klansman."
Fast-forwarding to today, there's a stark contrast of whether or not onlookers believe the modern-day pageant to find the Queen of Love and Beauty is moreso a classist, wealthy title. That in itself promotes exclusion.
One Twitter user described the VP as, "I think the Veiled Prophet thing is more nuanced than the KKK. After reading the Atlantic article about it, it reminds me more of the wealthy members of the Trumpsters, trying to turn the BLM and their allies against each other. It’s still a horrible group but it’s sneaky bad."
Other social media inspectors found out that the actress's family is one of Missouri's most powerful and wealthy. They're worth millions, the kind of family that has their name plastered to buildings because of their donations.
Reactions To Her Past
The Veiled Prophet didn't allow Black members to join until 1979, further solidifying its disturbing intentions. While Kemper's title as the Queen of Love and Beauty is just now gaining traction, it's not newly reported on. Nicki Swift included that part of her life in an article posted last year.
We're by no means excusing the pageant or denouncing scrutiny. However, it's important to look into the details of such accusations before immediately labeling Kemper as racist. She has not yet made a public statement about her involvement in the pageant.
Another Twitter commenter was upset that she has yet to do so, saying, "Been trending on twitter for a bit- it would take me 2 minutes to say I did not know at the time, I know now, I am disgusted and that is not who I am If the priority is to 'get it right' and 'get the statement perfect' then we know who is centered and it is not someone like me."