Awkwafina is leaving Twitter following continued accusations that she is appropriating Black culture.
The Crazy Rich Asians star, whose real name is Nora Lum, took to the social media platform on Saturday, Feb. 5 to issue a statement about her use of African American Vernacular English (AAVE). Over the years, many people have accused the comedian of appropriating Black culture due to her frequent use of AAVE — often referred to as a “blaccent” — in both her stand up comedy and in her film and TV roles.
In her letter, Awkwafina acknowledged the “sociopolitical context” behind the allegations, stating how Black people have been systematically oppressed while their culture was historically “stolen, exploited and appropriated by the dominant culture for monetary gain without acknowledgment nor respect from where those roots came from.” She shared that the problem exists today on social media platforms like TikTok and in music made by non-Black creators.
“As a non-Black POC, I stand by the fact that I will always listen and work tirelessly to understand the history and context of AAVE, what is deemed appropriate or backwards toward the progress of ANY and EVERY marginalized group,” she continued. “But I must emphasize: To mock, belittle, or to be unkind in any way possible at the expense of others is: Simply. Not. My. Nature. It never has, and it never was.”
Awkwafina, who was born in New York to a Chinese-American father and Korean mother, said that her “immigrant background” allowed her to “carve an American identity off the movies and TV shows I watched, the children I went to public school with, and my undying love and respect for hip hop.”
“I think as a group, Asian Americans are still trying to figure out what that journey means for them — what is correct and where they don’t belong,” she continued. “And though I’m still learning and doing that personal work, I know for sure that I want to spend the rest of my career doing nothing but uplifting our communities. We do this first by failing, learning, acknowledging, hearing and empathizing… And I will continue, tirelessly, to do just that.”
In a follow-up post, the Marvel actress said that she would be leaving Twitter, writing, “Well, I’ll see you in a few years, Twitter — per my therapist. To my fans, thank you for continuing to love and support someone who wishes they could be a better person for you. I apologize if I ever fell short, in anything I did. You’re in my heart always.”
She added that while she was no longer posting on the site, she is only “retiring from the ingrown toenail that is Twitter” and “not retiring from anything else.”
She added, “Also am avail on all other socials that don’t tell you to kill yourself!”
Awkwafina’s post received mixed reactions. While many tweeted that Awkwafina did not have anything to apologize for, others said that they didn’t feel like this statement was taking accountability. One wrote, “Hold up. Why are you putting your personal choices on to your fellow Asians who grew up the same way, yet didn’t use blaccent to make millions?” Another added, “It’s you clearly addressing the issue and still avoiding accountability for me, this is insanity.”
This is not the first time Awkwafina has acknowledged these accusations. While she has faced much backlash on social media over the years, a 2017 interview that resurfaced in August 2021 led to people calling out the star for hypocrisy. In her VICE interview, Awkwafina said of not wanting to do an accent to represent an Asian person, “I refuse to do accents. I’m not OK with someone writing the Asian experience for an Asian character. I make it very clear, I don’t ever go out for auditions where I feel like I’m making a minstrel out of our people.”
In a conversation with Yahoo Movies UK for her film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings in September of 2021, she said of criticism of her use of AAVE, “I welcome that conversation because as an Asian-American identity we’re still trying to figure out what that is, so I welcome the conversation.”
