After struggling with depression, she committed suicide in 2012. For many, it wasn’t even the rape accusation that was as hard to swallow as Parker’s attitude towards the event, which he referred to as “one of the most painful… moments in my life”.
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“It’s interesting because it’s coming out the same time the film’s coming out”, said Belafonte of the new attention on the trial, in which Parker and his “The Birth of a Nation” co-writer Jean Celestin were accused of raping a fellow Penn State student.
Although Parker said last week that the 1999 incident was “a very painful moment in my life”, details of the case have set off a fierce debate in Hollywood, the black community and among women’s groups about whether it is possible to separate art from the artist.
In the new interview, published by Ebony, Parker says that his original comments came from a “standpoint of ignorance”. Maybe I was being even arrogant. “What did I say wrong?”
“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”.
To which Parker responded, “You asked me why I wasn’t empathetic?” I’m finding out people in my own circle that are survivors that I didn’t even know.
While they did acknowledge and expressed remorse over the woman’s death, they cite a history of depression and use of anti-depressant medication. What do I need me to do? “Our disappointment also stems from our belief that far too many young men participate in patriarchal, misogynistic structures without consideration of the long-term implications”. It’s the same thing with white supremacy. And I want to have a better understanding of how I can be more of an ally, if they’ll accept me. In today’s Ebony Q&A, he says, “It’s like, if I don’t know how to swim and two weeks later I know how to swim, I know how to swim”. And I will raise children and try to leave a legacy that points to that desire to see the changes happen that I’ve fought for. “That kind of shrinks the pool of available material, but the material that I am blessed to do is material that I can be proud of, that my kids can watch, that my grandmother can watch. It really shook me”, he added. Compare that to 2016: “even now in a relationship, I feel like I’m way more attentive and curious as to what my wife wants, if she feels like (having sex), her body language”. What did I do wrong? As a woman, I am torn. Parker and Celestin maintained she had given consent. It was being insensitive, and it was being homophobic. I’m willing to take input from people who are living it everyday.
“A Roman Polanski or a Woody Allen, they were known to these people”, she said. “And I was like, oh”.
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You can read Parker’s full interview at EBONY.
