On Saturday, Awkwafina posted on Twitter for the first time in more than two years. Within hours, she announced she was quitting the social network, or at least turning her account over to her social media team, per her therapist's suggestion. It all has to do with cultural appropriation accusations. The rundown:
- "Blaccent": The Asian-American actress, comedian and rapper, born Nora Lum, has long been the subject of discussions around cultural appropriation and, in particular, the use of "blaccent"; see this 2018 Vulture piece for a good rundown. It was this issue Lum addressed in her initial Saturday tweet, which focused on African American Vernacular English (AAVE), Vanity Fair reports.
- Renewed uproar: The recent issue that sparked outcry is Lum's nomination for an NAACP Image Award for her voiceover work on Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon. Those awards historically honor Black achievement, BuzzFeed explains, and many were irked Lum had yet to comment on the appropriation accusations when she got the nod.