Fans Slam Awkwafina's Twitter Departure: 'This Is Not An Apology' 

On Saturday, Awkwafina, born NoraLum, returned from a two-year Twitter hiatus to announce that she was retiring from Twitter among criticism of cultural appropriation.

The “Crazy Rich Asians” actress said that her use of AAVE – African American Vernacular English – or her “blaccent” was never meant to offend anyone.

“There is a sociopolitical context to everything, especially the historical context of the African American community in this country,” she began.

“It is a group that is disproportionately affected by institutionalized policies and law enforcement policies – all the while having historically and routinely seen their culture stolen, exploited and appropriated by the *dominant* culture for monetary gain without acknowledgment nor respect for where those roots come from, the pioneers of its beginnings and the artists that perfected and mastered the craft.”

“It is a problem we still see today – though some may pass it off as a convoluted mixture of the ‘internet TikTok slang generation’ that liberally uses AAVE, to add that hip hop – a genre of music that is ubiquitous and beloved across the country – has now anchored itself as a mainstream genre in music history. 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, which is deemed appropriate or backward 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.”

“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. 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. 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.”

Awkwafina followed up her long statement with a tweet that read, 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, “To Clarify: I am retiring from the ingrown toenail that is Twitter. 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!”

However, some fans felt like her message read less like an apology and more like a defense.

“a 6 page long notes app ‘apology’ to say yes i know about the history of AAVE, yes I understand the implications of nonblack ppl using it, yes as a poc I understand the importance of not perpetuating stereotypes — no i will not say sorry bc that’s not my nature xx,” one fan commented.

“This is not an apology,” another shared. “this is, in fact, the opposite of an apology. this is a denial of harm. saying nothing would have been better than this. saying ‘blaccent is bad, but i never did it, im better than that,’ despite ample evidence of the contrary, is a slap in the face.”

“Black people told you to stop using our blaccent and our aave and to stop profiting off our culture and your best idea is to run away? Lol” another asked.

“Notice that most of the people telling you that you didn’t do anything wrong are NOT mostly from the group that you offended,” another noticed. “Interesting to do this during Black History Month.”

“Girl. You could have squashed this a long time ago by having accountability, now we’re the problem???” another asked. “No need to announce your departure. Just go babe.”

Although her account is still active, it seems like Awkwafina may have already left. A message at the top of her Twitter profile now reads: “UNTIL 2024 ALL ACTIVITY IS MONITORED BY MY (amazing) SOCIAL TEAM - HAPPY YEAR OF THE TIGER!”