A photo showing Ellie Kemper crowned at a ball believed to be linked to the KKK has resurfaced, and critics are accusing her of outright racism. The 41-year-old was named queen of St. Louis’ Veiled Prophet Ball in 1999; it was a ball created in 1878, and is linked to the white supremacy.
The Veiled Prophet is said to have chosen the queen, and was dressed in a klan-style hood and robe, while armed with a pistol and rifle.
“I don’t know much about Ellie Kemper, but growing up in St. Louis in the 1970s and 1980, I remember The Veiled Prophet Fair very well,” CNN commentator Keith Boykin tweeted. “I was always told it was only for white people. The racial segregation was so normalized that people were just expected to know their place.”