Bon Appétit offered a “long-overdue apology” Wednesday, two days after Adam Rapoport stepped down as editor in chief following the surfacing of a photo of him in brownface.
Staffers at BA and Epicurious wrote they’d been “complicit with a culture [they] don’t agree with.”
“The deeply offensive photo circulating of Adam is horrific on its own, but also speaks to the much broader and longstanding impact of racism at these brands,” they said.
The statement also outlined where the Condé Nast brands can go from here: “We have been seriously discussing what change can look like at BA and Epi and what we need to do to make it an inclusive, just, and equitable place. To start, that means prioritizing people of color for the editor in chief candidate pool, implementing anti-racism training for our staff, and resolving any pay inequities that are found across all departments. It means dismantling the toxic, top-down culture that has hurt many members of our staff both past and present and supporting Condé Nast’s internal investigation to hold individual offenders accountable.”
The staffers further mentioned hiring and centering black freelancers and staffers.
Rapoport resigned from his position Monday after an old Instagram photo of him in brownface resurfaced on Monday and quickly drew backlash.
“I am stepping down as editor in chief of Bon Appetit to reflect on the work that I need to do as a human being and to allow Bon Appétit to get to a better place,” Rapoport shared in an Instagram post. “From an extremely ill-conceived Halloween costume 16 years ago to my blind spots as an editor, I’ve not championed an inclusive vision. And ultimately, it’s been at the expense of Bon Appétit and its staff, as well as our readers. They all deserve better.”
Though the photo drew condemnation from BA staffers, it also led to a larger discussion on social media surrounding the culture at the magazine and how non-white staff members are compensated and treated.