Awkwafina's Statement About Cultural Appropriation Draws Backlash

By Aaron Perine

Awkwafina actually put out a statement about claims of her appropriating Black culture this morning. On Twitter, she posted some thoughts about African American culture and her respect for it. The actress made it clear she respects hip hop and other tenets of Black cultural output and remains committed to uplifting communities. She's thought a lot about the larger conversations around her performances and felt obliged to say something. On social media though, people are reacting to these words with critiques of their own. So, it would seem the dialogue has been started. Read her statement for yourself down below.

"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 acknowledgement 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," the Shang-Chi star added. 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."

The actress continued, "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 toward the progress of ANY and EVERY marginalized group. 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 concluded.

What do you think of Awkwafina's statement? Let us know down in the comments!

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