Nate Parker said he is “devastated” as he writes to fans addressing his rape trial and acquittal when he was a student at Penn State.
In a rather lengthy post on his Facebook account, the 36-year-old actor and directer of “The Birth of a Nation” said he is a different person and said that he should have been a better man when he was 19. (RELATED: Dear Paul Ryan: America Was Actually Founded On An Identity)
“I write to you all devastated,” Parker wrote. “Over the last several days, a part of my past — my arrest, trial and acquittal on charges of sexual assault — has become a focal point for media coverage, social media speculation and industry conversation. I understand why so many are concerned and rightfully have questions.”
“These issues of a women’s right to be safe and of men and women engaging in healthy relationships are extremely important to talk about, however difficult,” he added. “I myself just learned that the young woman ended her own life several years ago and I am filled with profound sorrow. I can’t tell you how hard it is to hear this news.”
“I cannot, nor do I want to ignore the pain she endured during and following our trial,” he continued. “While I maintain my innocence that the encounter was unambiguously consensual, there are things more important than the law. There is morality; no one who calls himself a man of faith should even be in that situation.”
“As a 36-year-old father of daughters and person of faith, I look back on that time as a teenager and can say without hesitation that I should have used more wisdom,” he wrote. “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. I see now that I may not have shown enough empathy even as I fought to clear my name.”
“I cannot change what has happened,” he added. “I cannot bring this young woman who was someone else’s daughter, someone’s sister and someone’s mother back to life. I have changed so much since nineteen.”
“I’ve grown and matured in so many ways and still have more learning and growth to do,” he continued. “I have tried to conduct myself in a way that honors my entire community – and will continue to do this to the best of my ability. All of this said, I also know there are wounds that neither time nor words can heal.”