ST. LOUIS — For more than a century, association with the Order of the Veiled Prophet has been the mark of elite wealth and power in St. Louis. A secret society, it has been run by some of the top business executives and patriarchs in the region. And, every year, it hosts an $800,000 ball, of white gloves, tuxedos and elegant gowns, in honor of its work.
But for the past two weeks, social media has made association with the Veiled Prophet a badge of shame.
Twitter came for actress and former VP debutante queen Ellie Kemper over Memorial Day, calling her a "KKK princess" in a reference to the order's founding by former Confederates and its masked namesake. Then last week, Kemper, whose family runs Commerce Bancshares, apologized and condemned the organization's "unquestionably racist, sexist, and elitist past."
