Dance Moms villain Abby Lee Miller has been accused of vicious racism by both the eponymous Moms and by their young children.

No longer willing to stay quiet, they called her out -- and public pressure has forced Abby to respond.

Abby Lee Miller took to Instagram this week to respond to he allegations of racism that have come to light.

"I genuinely understand and deeply regret how my words have effected and hurt those around me in the past," she begins.

Abby notes that she is apologizing to "particularly those in the Black community."

Racism doesn't just hurt the target. It reminds everyone, including other black people in the room, that white supremacy continues to run rampant.

"To Kamryn, Adriana, and anyone else I've hurt," Abby addresses her words.

She claims: "I am truly sorry."

"I realize that racism can not just come from hate," Abby conveys, "but also from ignorance."

"No matter the cause," she writes, "it is harmful, and it is my fault."

"While I cannot change the past or remove the harm I've done," Abby acknowledges.

She vows: "I promise to educate myself, learn, grow, and do better."

"While I hope to one day earn your forgiveness," Abby expresses.

"I recognize that words alone are not enough," she acknowledges. "I understand it takes time and genuine change."

To her credit, we do think that Abby came up with at least part of this message herself, even if she possibly spoke to others about what to say.

Our gut feeling is that a publicist working alone would have made a better, more thorough apology and gotten more specific.

Anyone who has a PR agent can have someone write up a blurb that sounds like it comes from someone who "gets" it.

Let us hope that Abby intends to make good on her promise to learn and grow and improve.

But to her "discredit," we have to say that Abby's apology could have been more extensive.

Kamryn Smith and her mother Adriana, who called out Abby just days ago, are not the only ones with a bone to pick.

Producer Kori Kingg also spoke about how vile Abby's treatment of black children on the show was.

And Camille Bridges, mother of Camryn, also spoke out about how Abby's toxic, racist behavior drove her daughter from the show.

Adriana, Kori, and Camille are not the only black women to speak out about how deeply entrenched racism and white supremacy are.

This is not just about overwhelming and escalalating police violence with no accountability.

It's also not just about people hurling slurs, calling the police on people of color for existing, or the healthcare disparity during this pandemic.

Just this week, Riverdale actress Vanessa Morgan slammed her treatment on the show, and she is just one of many actresses speaking out.

Is it unfair for Abby to be one of the famous people who, like Lea Michele and others, is being called out for appalling racism?

Well, no. Not being racist is free.

We all have a lot to unlearn because our culture is stepped in racist dogwhistles that some of us do not recognize.

But that simply means that Abby has room to grow and learn, not that her past statements were okay.

Quite frankly, Abby built her entire brand upon being toxic to stage moms and a vicious bully to little children.

The way that she treated many of the children on Dance Moms was disturbing, to say the least.

Children should never be bullied and berated, least of all by someone who is supposed to nurture their growth.

The fact that it was filmed for "entertainment" ... well, so was Toddlers & Tiaras. We live in a sick, twisted world.

Some may rush to Abby's defense, by saying that she's old, or equally cruel to everyone, or that calling her out now doesn't do anything.

No one is trying to magically change the past, folks.

Nothing done now can undo what Abby has said, just as it cannot undo centuries of slavery, or generations of institutionalized racism.

The idea, rather, is to make the current world a better place -- and hold people accountable for their past misdeeds.

The idea isn't to hurt Abby's feeling for fun, or whatever. That's Abby's style, not the style of the women calling her out.

Instead, the goal is to get her to grow and change so that she does not do this to others.

This is extra important when it comes to public figures, whom people may seek to emulate.

We don't want some aspiring reality star to say vile, racist things to belittle black children -- or their moms -- in an attempt to follow in her footsteps.

Obviously, a woman saying cruel, even traumatizing things, to children is a far cry from escalating police violence against disenfranchised minorities.

But just because we are all horrified by the displays of violence and the use of chemical weapons does not mean that Abby's wrongdoings go away.

It is more than possible to care about two things at a time, folks.

It's good that Abby is being called to account. We hope that she learns and grows and improves herself as a result.