The Bachelor: What does BIPOC mean?

BIPOC is a modern term formed in light of the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020.

Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell has come under fire for a series of social media posts which fans have deemed her “racist” for.

What is the recent racism drama on The Bachelor?

Bachelor Nation fans are slamming contestant Rachael Kirkconnell and deeming her “racist” for her problematic social media history.

Rachael was alleged to have liked racist social media posts in the past.

Rachael faced backlash earlier this month for attending an “antebellum plantation-themed ball” at Georgia College & State University, thrown by the college fraternity, Kappa Alpha. 

The contestant uploaded pictures to social media in an antebellum-style dress.

The Antebellum South was a period in the history of the southern United States from the late 18th century until the start of the American Civil War in 1861 where southern planters wielded most of the economic and political power in the country.

Enslaved African people made up a large portion of the southern population during this time.

Kappa Alpha has been criticized as “racist” due to its embrace of Confederate General Robert E. Lee as its “spiritual leader.”

Rachael’s cousin Anastasia exclusively spoke to The Celeb Report, insisting she is “not racist” – but admitted the photos are “hard to defend”.

Rachael‘s mother has also come to her daughter’s defense after a TikTok user named Maddy Bierster accused Kirkconnell of bullying her in high school for “liking black guys.”

What does BIPOC mean?

BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous, People of Color.

 POC is widely used as an umbrella term for all people of color to acknowledge that ethnic minorities face racial injustice.

BIPOC, which has gained traction on the internet, is significant in recognizing that black people and indigenous people are severely and proportionally impacted by systemic racism.

According to CBS, the use of the acronym began to spike in May 2020, coinciding with the growing Black Lives Matter movement.

Founders of “The BIPOC Project” use the term to “highlight the unique relationship to Whiteness that Indigenous and Black (African Americans) people have, which shapes the experiences of and relationship to white supremacy for all people of color within a U.S. context.” 

Has Rachael spoken about the drama?

Rachael has not yet publicly commented and is still a contender for Matt James’ on The Bachelor. 

She has been facing death threats since the scandal broke and her parents are in a “terrible mental place”, a source told The Celeb Report.

Bachelor host Chris Harrison explained that Rachael didn’t make an appearance at the Women Tell All filming – but insisted she will “have her time to speak.”

“We will talk about it, on the ‘Woman Tell All’ we do get into it… Rachael was not there so we didn’t get into the Rachael of it all,” he told Extra TV.

He added: “But Rachael will have her time to speak. Hopefully I will be there to have that debate with her and I will push her.

“I don’t think the show needs to speak before Rachael does.”

Chris also urged viewers to show Rachael “a little grace, understanding and compassion”.

The longtime host of the franchise came under fire for his comments with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay about the Matt James frontrunners current scandal. 

Chris took to Instagram and apologized for the “mistake” in a lengthy post. 

“While I do not speak for Rachael Kirkconnell, my intentions were simply to ask for grace in offering her an opportunity to speak on her own behalf.”

He continued: “What I now realize I have done is cause harm by wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism, and for that I am so deeply sorry.”