Awkwafina addressed accusations that she uses a “blaccent” in films after receiving backlash online over her NAACP Image Awards nomination.
On Saturday, the 33-year-old “Farewell” actress posted a statement to her Twitter account in which she acknowledged the criticism launched her way. According to Dictionary, a “blaccent” is the imitation of Black English — also known as African American Vernacular English (or AAVE) — by non-black people.
“There is a sociopolitical context to everything, especially the historical context of the African American community in this country,” Awkwafina, whose real name is Nora Lum, wrote. She said that African Americans are a group “disproportionately affected by institutionalized policies and law enforcement policies,” and that African American culture is often exploited for monetary gain by the “dominant culture” without respect for its origins.
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Representatives for Awkwafina did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
Her statement comes after she received online criticism over her NAACP Image Awards nomination. According to Atlanta Black Star, Awkwafina was nominated for “Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance” in Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon.” The outlet noted that NAACP doesn’t exclusively nominate Black entertainers, but some people online took fault because of Awkwafina’s past “blaccent” accusations.
Awkwafina previously touched on the “blaccent” criticism while promoting the 2021 Marvel movie, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” During an interview with Reuters Showbiz
, Awkwafina said she was “open to the conversation.”“I think it, you know, it’s really something that is a little bit multi-faceted and layered,” she said.
