*So who were the “black civic leaders and pastors” that flanked expelled University of Oklahoma SAE member Levi Pettit during his apology press conference Wednesday afternoon?
There was Oklahoma State Sen. Anastasia A. Pittman, the chair of the Oklahoma Black Caucus, who thanked the media in her introduction for “giving us this opportunity to introduce Levi Pettit to the world.”
There was also Fairview Pastor J.A. Reed, whose Fairview Baptist Church hosted the press conference in Oklahoma City, where Pettit expressed regret and asked for forgiveness from a prepared statement.
“All the apologies in the world won’t change what I have done, so I will spend the rest of my life trying to be the person who heals and brings people of all races together,” Pettit told the assembled reporters in Oklahoma City.
“The people I met with have opened my eyes to things I wasn’t exposed to before this event,” he added during a brief question and answer session, saying he hadn’t understood the hurt his words caused. “I think I knew they were wrong, but I never knew why or how they were wrong.”
Petit refused to discuss the chant, nor say where he learned it or who taught it to him.
“I’m not here to talk about where I learned the chant or where it was taught. I’m here to apologize for what I did,” Pettit said.
After Pettit left the room, Pittman returned to the microphone to call his meeting with the community a teachable moment. She also called on Oklahoma legislators to increase students’ exposure to black history and studies as part of their high school education.
Watch below:
Needless to say, Pettit’s apology was given a huge side eye on Twitter.
“You don’t get to use black people as a force field and expect me to believe that you’re sorry,” wrote Imani Gandy, a lawyer and author of the “Angry Black Lady” blog. “You want me to believe you’re sorry? Explain how you learned the song.”
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