Phylicia Rashad sent a letter to Howard University students and parents on Friday, giving them a “most sincere apology” for her tweets that celebrated the release of her longtime friend and former co-star Bill Cosby.
Cosby was released earlier this week after Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court overturned his sexual assault conviction.
“My remarks were in no way directed towards survivors of sexual assault. I vehemently oppose sexual violence, find no excuse for such behavior, and I know that Howard University has a zero-tolerance policy toward interpersonal violence,” Ms. Rashad wrote.
Rashad, an alumna of the prestigious university, was appointed dean of its recently reestablished College of Fine Arts back in May.
On Wednesday, after news of Cosby’s release broke, Rashad happily tweeted, “FINALLY!!!! A terrible wrong is being righted- a miscarriage of justice is corrected!” along with his photo.
Rashad has since deleted the tweet, saying her focus over the next few weeks will be “to engage in active listening and participate in training to not only reinforce University protocol and conduct but also to learn how I can become a stronger ally to sexual assault survivors and everyone who has suffered at the hands of an abuser.”
