A video of a South Carolina singer making a series of racist and homophobic remarks, using a racial slur and performing a Nazi salute has sparked outrage on social media.
Gracie Wood, a 17-year-old singer and songwriter from Spartanburg, South Carolina, was caught on camera making the racist statements that appear to have been secretly shot without her knowledge.
'We Should Blow the Whole Continent of Africa'
"Mexicans and middle easterns, all they do is wanna kill people," Wood starts off by saying in the video.
"What about Africans?" someone asks and Wood responds by saying, "Kill em'! We should blow the whole continent of Africa."
When asked by a friend how she felt about Germans, Wood says she supports "Nazis" because they hate gay people and black people. She then proceeds to perform the Nazi salute before expressing her admiration for Hitler.
"Honestly, Hitler is a pretty quality man," she adds. "And he went out the right way by killing himself. I feel like I'd rather kill myself than be killed by a firing squad."
Wood then goes on to say her favorite "N-word" is "n-gger," prompting the room to erupt in laughter, cheer and shock. "Yes, I got it!" one of Wood's friends is heard saying before the video runs out. Watch the clip below:
Social Media Reactions
The video went viral afterpopular TikTok user Denise Bradley who goes by the handle @auntkaren01 and has a reputation for exposing racist individuals on the platform, reposted the video as part of her "Racist of the day" segment.
Bradley also identified Wood's mother as Amy Wood, a news anchor who works for WSPA 7News. In the wake of the outrage, Gracie, who has a single that goes by "You Ain't My Boo" on Spotify, has deleted her Twitter and Instagram profile, where she had close to 30,000 followers.
"Her career ended before it even started," wrote one user, while another commented, "Can't wait for the teary 'I'm so sorry, I'm young and don't know better' apology tour.
Gracie's School Release Statement
Gracie is a senior at Oakbrook Preparatory School in Spartanburg and performs with the school's theater department and is also a member of the volleyball team. Oakbrook Prep released the following statement on its social media platforms as well as a letter to school families Wednesday evening:
"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."
Mother Also Issues Apology
Amy Wood also posted a statement to her Facebook page Thursday night 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.
