Nate Parker Adresses Rape Allegations From 1999

Film mogul Nate Parker has been making quite the wave this summer as he suits up for the arrival of his new film, “The Birth of a Nation,” in which he starred in, wrote, and directed. But now after details of his past have come to the forefront, the focus is shifting towards a different subject surrounding Parker.

Parker was acquitted of charges in 1999, which stemmed from allegations that he and his roommate, Jean Celestin, raped an 18-year-old classmate during his tenure at Penn State. Wednesday,with his six-year-old daughter present, an interview with Variety pushed Parker to address the matter.

“Seventeen years ago, I experienced a very painful moment in my life,” Parker told Variety. “It resulted in it being litigated. I was cleared of it. That’s that. Seventeen years later, I’m a filmmaker. I have a family. I have five beautiful daughters. I have a lovely wife. I get it. The reality is… I can’t relive 17 years ago. All I can do is be the best man I can be now.”

During the time of the trial, Parker admitted that he had had sex with the accuser, but maintained that it was consensual. While Parker was initially acquitted of all charges, his roommate was not. Eventually, after appealing the decision, his roommate was also acquitted of charges following the accuser not wanting to testify a second time.

17 years later, Celestin is credited as a co-writer in Parker’s “The Birth of a Nation.” While the two were cleared of any wrongdoing regarding the allegations, Parker understands that the scrutiny will likely continue as press for the film heightens. “My life will be examined and put under the microscope in ways that it never has. There are numerous things that are surfacing,” he stated. “But I’ve always been an open book. I’m an advocate of justice. I’m an older man. I’ve matured a lot. I’ve had many obstacles in my life. I grew up very poor. My father passed away. There are so many things that happened. At the same time, I am the man that I am. I am open to the scrutiny. I will never hide anything from my past.” “Look at it through the context of 17 years,” he continued. “It was a very painful for everyone who went through it. What I learned through 17 years of growth and having children and having a wife and building a family is that we have to fight for what’s right. We have to lead in love.”