Awkwafina introduced Saturday (Jan 5) she’s quitting Twitter, following ongoing accusations of cultural appropriation.
The Golden Globe-winning actress and comic took to social media to handle her controversial use of African American Vernacular English — sometimes called a “blaccent” — in a few of her performances.
In a prolonged, multi-image publish, the 33-year-old star of Crazy Rich Asians and Nora From Queens mentioned she meant no disrespect however acknowledged that “there is a historical context to everything, especially the African American community in this country”.
That group, she continued, is “disproportionately affected by institutionalized policies,” however on the similar has “historically and routinely seen their culture stolen, exploited and appropriated by the *dominant* culture for monetary gain without acknowledgment nor respect”.
That’s an issue that also exists as we speak, she wrote, citing the “internet TikTok slang generation” and its use of vernacular abbreviated AAVE.
“And in life, linguistic acculturation, immigrant acculturation, and the inevitable passage of globalized internet slang all play a factor in the fine line between offense and pop culture,” she added.
The actress, whose actual title is Nora Lum, was born to a Chinese-American father and a Korean mom. She was raised in Queens and attended LaGuardia High School in Manhattan.
“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 marginalised group,” she wrote. “But I must emphasise: 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 rose to prominence in 2012 as a rapper, continued, saying 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”.
Her profession took off in 2018 with roles in Ocean’s 8 and Crazy Rich Asians. That 12 months she grew to become the second Asian girl to host Saturday Night Live, after Lucy Liu in 2000. The subsequent 12 months introduced her the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical for The Farewell.
A number of hours after her unique Twitter publish Saturday, Awkwafina shared one other tweet saying that she was taking a break from the microblogging community.
“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 wrote, including a purple coronary heart emoji.– New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
