Awkwafina Quits Twitter After Addressing Blaccent and Cultural Appropriation Criticism

The ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ star, who has been accused of using blaccent for years, believes that her speech has been influenced by her surroundings.

AceShowbiz –Awkwafina has bid farewell to Twitter. After addressing long-standing criticism over her use of blaccent and appropriation of Black culture, the “Crazy Rich Asians” actress announced that she’s leaving the blue-bird app.

On Saturday, February 5, the 33-year-old first shared a lengty statement on Twitter. Early in her message, she acknowledged the “historical context of the African American community” in the U.S., writing, “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.”

“But 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 towards the progress of ANY and EVERY marginalized group,” she added. “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.”

The “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” star, however, believes that her speech has been influenced by her surroundings. “My immigrant background allowed me 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,” she shared.

“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,” the female rapper 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 lifting our communities. We do the first by failing, learning, acknowledging, hearing and empathizing and I will continue tirelessly to do just that.”

Later, Awkwafina announced that she’s “retiring from the ingrown toenail that is Twitter.” She further elaborated, “Not retiring from anything else, even if I wanted to, and I didn’t drunkenly hit someone with a shoehorn and now escaping as a fugitive. Also am avail on all other socials that don’t tell you to kill yourself!”

“Well, I’ll see you in a few years, Twitter – per my therapist,” the comedienne, born Nora Lum, added. “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.”

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