The actor/producer Nate Parker has denied claims that he sexually assaulted a young woman during his time at Penn State University.
Details on why he’s had to do so this week below…
17 years ago, the performer and his friend were accused of sexually assaulting a woman after she passed out during their time at the aforementioned school.
The pair claimed that the sex was consensual.
Parker, who would go on to star in the Denzel Washington-led release ‘The Great Debaters’, was found not guilty and his friend, Mr. Jean McGianni Celestin’, saw his initial conviction overturned overturned.
Alas, their alleged victim committed suicide thirteen years later.
This prompted Parker to take to Facebook to release the statement below:
These are my words. Written from my heart and not filtered through a third party gaze. Please read these separate from any platform I may have, but from me as a fellow human being.
I write to you all devastated…
Over the last several days, a part of my past – my arrest, trial and acquittal on charges of sexual assault – has become a focal point for media coverage, social media speculation and industry conversation. I understand why so many are concerned and rightfully have questions. These issues of a women’s right to be safe and of men and women engaging in healthy relationships are extremely important to talk about, however difficult. And more personally, as a father, a husband, a brother and man of deep faith, I understand how much confusion and pain this incident has had on so many, most importantly the young woman who was involved.
I myself just learned that the young woman ended her own life several years ago and I am filled with profound sorrow…I can’t tell you how hard it is to hear this news. I can’t help but think of all the implications this has for her family.
I cannot- nor do I want to ignore the pain she endured during and following our trial. While I maintain my innocence that the encounter was unambiguously consensual, there are things more important than the law. There is morality; no one who calls himself a man of faith should even be in that situation. As a 36-year-old father of daughters and person of faith, I look back on that time as a teenager and can say without hesitation that I should have used more wisdom.
I look back on that time, my indignant attitude and my heartfelt mission to prove my innocence with eyes that are more wise with time. I see now that I may not have shown enough empathy even as I fought to clear my name. Empathy for the young woman and empathy for the seriousness of the situation I put myself and others in.
I cannot change what has happened. I cannot bring this young woman who was someone else’s daughter, someone’s sister and someone’s mother back to life…
I have changed so much since nineteen. I’ve grown and matured in so many ways and still have more learning and growth to do. I have tried to conduct myself in a way that honors my entire community – and will continue to do this to the best of my ability.
All of this said, I also know there are wounds that neither time nor words can heal.I have never run from this period in my life and I never ever will. Please don’t take this as an attempt to solve this with a statement.
I urge you only to take accept this letter as my response to the moment.
Nate
His statement came in response to an interview the young woman’s brother gave to ‘Daily Variety.’
In it, he questioned Hollywood’s decision to support Nate and his projects even after learning of the worrying case.
Said interview was published before the deceased’s family released a statement which seemed to suggest that the unearthing of the story may have occurred to sabotage Parker’s forthcoming ‘Birth of a Nation’, and not to honour their daughter or the son she is survived by.
We appreciate that after all this time, these men are being held accountable for their actions. However, we are dubious of the underlying motivations that bring this to present light after 17 years, and we will not take part in stoking its coals. While we cannot protect the victim from this media storm, we can do our best to protect her son. For that reason, we ask for privacy for our family and do not wish to comment further.
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This is just tabloid trash. Off course the guy is remorseful for his actions and their sad consequences,however someone else is milking this situation which should be history by now. They just can’t stand a brother’s success.
I’ve been following this story for the past week. I will admit that I am disappointed that Nate was ever involved in a situation like this and even more so disappointed that what could be a deeply impactful film will be overshadowed by this. I can’t offer an opinion on the case because I was not there and do not have the facts. None of us do. But I can say that I have grown tremendously since the age of 19 and would hate to be judged by some of my actions at that age. The movie studio gave him millions of dollars to tell this fantastic story. I can only hope that we as a people rally to support Nate’s film as it is bigger than just him. This is a story of a generation. I also offer sympathy to the victim and her family as there are clearly a lot of emotional scars there.
Why is nate even apologising. He was acquitted and all charges. Her death is not your problem!! Sorry.. You should never make an innocent person feel guilty because you are not happy with the verdict.
The DA collected the evidence and the jury made a decision. Not saying the decision is factual, but I hate when then media tried to point especially black men as guilty when they have been given due process and acquitted. The media is basically saying blacks shouldn’t be given due process
OJ killed that woman, Bill Cosby r**** women, R kelly assulted young girls and ALIYAH. Yet, people hide behind this narrative of black men being targeted. This is why the black community will always lag behind, becuase they’d rather shield evil.
YOU sound STUPID and uneducated. Evidently you were raised in a trailer park. You should have been aborted
Proof that all black people supported these men please.
No! Shielding evil is what white people do.
But it was BLACK men that done them things I’m not saying that other races don’t do them but when black people do them most of the black community want to hide or cover it up by saying that they was framed or targeted just so they can get away with what they have done. And all you dumb uneducated people that want to call white people evil and wish them harm deserve bad things to happen to them and there families and I will pray for you all as it is needed.
Smart family
Wrong post I know, however, why was the 10th year anniversary of Back to Basics by Christina Aguilera glossed over? But yet I know for certain come September 4th there will be a post for the 10th year anniversary for B-Day by Beyoncé…just curious.
I read a DailyBeast article that reviews the court records and witness testimony and I can comfortably say: he most probably did r*** this woman while she was passed out. Don’t tell me about acquittal. Acquittal is not the same as innocence. Courts investigate guilt or no guilt NOT innocent. George Zimmerman was acquitted, OJ was acquitted and many other. This is all BEFORE you consider that r*** is one of the most difficult crimes to prove in a court because more oft than not, the evidence it leaves behind is non-physical. In the end, it ends up being the accuser’s word against the accused. He then used his race to antagonize and further victimize the woman.
On top of that he’s also a vile homophobe and thinks he can sanitize this bigotry by informing us that “he’s a man of deep faith”. Not shocking since the worst kinds of people are usually people of deep faith.
A shame that the story of Nat Turner is told by a r***** and homophobe and thorough bigot. He recently said he wouldn’t take a gay role because he wants to “preserve the Black man”. Disgusting hatred that’ it frightens me to say, is very unique to these “Black nationalist” men like him.
Fortunately movies aren’t the be all end all. There are books upon books upon books on the fascinating life of Nat Turner. I hope his image as a r***** overshadows and forever haunts his celebrity until the end of his days, just like the woman who’s life he destroyed.
She went from 4.0 average to fully psychotic and still today there are people who blame her.
Regardless of what racism teaches us, we have FAR MORE amazing BLACK men we can support and love, we do not have to resort to supporting rapists.
And the people who are blaming this on youth should be ashamed. We all do bad things in our youth, but SOME things (r***, murder) are unforgivable. So I don’t care whether it came out today, tomorrow or whether its a smear campaign. The point is: he f***** an unconscious woman and THEN invited his friend(whom she didn’t know) to come in and do the same and then got his friends to victimize her further.
Women are truly up against it in this life. Men do NOT see them as humans who deserve respect. Parents need to do far more in what they teach their sons about women, otherwise I don’t see a lot changing anytime soon.
I am now very suspicious of these celebrities, what have they gotten away with that we will never know about I wonder.
Liked him in the Greatest Debaters and thought he was cute in Beyond The Lights. NEVER did I think he had such a past, smh. What saddens me the most about all this coming out is that it will ultimately overshadow the film which tells a very important story in the history of African Americans. When he gave that interview (or did he release a statement??) last week, I found it odd that he did not mention that the r*** victim did actually committed S****** in 2012 probably due to psychological scarring because he went on and on about it was a difficult time for HIM and whatnot.
They’re trying to repeat what they did to Bill Cosby; ruin the reputation of an intelligent black man just when he gains ground in releasing a new and promising project for the advancement of African-Americans. Bill Cosby was launching new projects at Netflix and NBC and then came the accusations. Nate Parker’s Birth of a Nation starts generating Oscar buzz and now the media has to try and drag him back through the mud too.
I’m still seeing this film. No one cared until this film came about.
Who is He