Yahoo Autos Spartanburg teenager, daughter of local news anchor, responds to racist, homophobic videos
Wood's daughter, Gracie, has released a video in response to the viral videos, apologizing for the "horrible and disgusting" content.
"There is absolutely no excuse for anything that came out of my mouth and I can only imagine the pain the people felt when watching those videos," Gracie said in her apology.
Gracie Wood said she was not raised to believe those thing but understands it doesn't change the impact of her words, which hurt people in the Black, Hispanic, Jewish, Asian, Middle Eastern and LGBTQ+ communities. She said she plans to use this opportunity to learn and grow and become a better person.
"I've met with several leaders in the communities that I offended," Gracie Wood said. "And I've had several people reach out to mentor me. I hope with their guidance and my self-accountability that I will become more educated and come out on the other side as a better human being."
There will be consequences for Gracie following the release of these videos. She is a senior at Oakbrook Preparatory School in Spartanburg and performed with the school's theater department and was a member of the volleyball team. She announced in her apology video she is no longer in attendance at her school and will not be allowed to walk at graduation. She also said there will be "several more consequences to come."
Oakbrook Prep released the following statement on its social media platforms as well as a letter to school families Jan. 12:
"We have been made aware of recent statements made by an Oakbrook student. While these statements were made off campus in a non-school related event, we find these comments and the behavior of those involved offensive and extremely disappointing. The statements made are not reflective of Oakbrook's mission and core values, which are academic excellence, character, community, creativity, and diversity. As advocates for all God's people, we strive to create a community that is respectful and inclusive based on Biblical principle and appreciates the richness of different cultures and viewpoints. Our school leadership is prayerfully considering actions that we can take to reinforce our core values, enable our students and staff to learn from this experience, and promote a caring environment where everyone in our community feels respected and valued."
Both videos were first posted by the Instagram account @saucecarolina. The account stated in a direct message that it would not reveal the initial source of the videos. The Herald-Journal will not post the videos on our site due to their racist and homophobic language.
On Jan. 14, Amy Wood posted a statement to her Facebook page apologizing on behalf of her daughter and family for the "horrific, disgusting, and vile things my daughter said on the videos so many of you have seen."
Wood also said her family would be working together to learn and grow stronger in their beliefs of equality and inclusion.
Upstate activist Bruce Wilson, of Black Lives Matter and Fighting Injustice Together, said that he spoke with Amy and Mike Wood on the night of Jan. 12. Wilson said the Woods were apologetic.
Wilson expressed he has no desire to see Amy Wood held responsible for something her teenage daughter did or said.
"There needs to be consequences. I believe this incident will probably affect her (Gracie) a lot in the future and affect her now." Wilson said. "And it’s painful to hear that language, especially for Black people, Jewish people and gay people."
Ashley Dill is a native of Spartanburg and has been on staff for the Herald-Journal for 14 years. She covers community news and can be reached at ashley.dill@shj.com or on Twitter at @ashleydill_shj.
This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Daughter of local news anchor apologizes for racist, homophobic videos
