Awkwkafina reacted to criticisms that she used a fake “blaccent” in her comedy, while also announcing her retirement from Twitter.
Star of ” Shan-Chi” and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Nora Lum, has been criticized for her use of African-American Vernacular English. On social media, some have accused the actress of using a voice that is a cartoon of a Black person to make her funny.
The star addressed the situation in on Saturday. She wrote a long note on Twitter acknowledging the “sociopolitical context” and that she was being accused of parodying or stealing from a community that is “disproportionately affected [by institutionalized policies] and law enforcement policies – while historically and routinely having seen their culture stolen and exploited by the dominant culture for monetary gains without acknowledgment nor respect for those roots.”
She also noted that AAVE has been viewed as “slang that’s accessible to all” because of its Internet culture. She said that there’s a fine line between pop culture and offense.
Awkwafina stated that she is a non-black POC and will continue to listen to and work tirelessly for understanding the context and history of AAVE. She also wrote, “As an African-American POC, I stand behind the fact I will always hear and work tirelessly toward the advancement of ANY and ALL marginalized groups.” But I have to emphasize: To mock, degrade, or be unkind at the expense of other people is simply: Not. My. Nature. It has never been, and it will never be again.”
She explained that it was easy to use that language in comedy and music, because she grew-up as an immigrant and allowed pop culture such as movies and TV shows to mold her “American identity.”
She ended her statement by stating that she intends to spend the rest her career learning, improving and serving the communities she represents.
She concluded, “I’m still learning and doing personal work. But I know for certain that I want to spend my entire career doing nothing but lifting up or communities.” “We start by failing, learning and acknowledging… I will continue to do that tirelessly.
She followed up with tweeting her announcement that she was quitting Twitter in the near future.
She wrote, “Well, I’ll be seeing you in a few decades, Twitter – per mine therapist.” To my fans, I want to thank you for your continued support and love for someone who wants to be better. I am sorry if I have ever failed in any way. I will always remember you.”
She also added a second tweet: “To clarify: I am retiring form the ingrown toenail of Twitter. I am not retiring from any other job, even if it was my choice. I also didn’t hit anyone with a shoehorn, and I’m now running as a fugitive. I am also available on any other social networks that don’t ask you to kill your self!”
In her bio on Twitter, she also stated that she would not be returning to the platform until 2024.
