Popular Asian actress/comedian Awkwafina was nominated for an NAACP Image Award, and that has all of Black Twitter in an uproar, MTO News has learned.
![](https://mtonews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/MTg2ODEwNjc5NzcxMDE0NjM5.webp)
On its face, the nomination seems justified. Awkwafina is Asian, and therefore a woman of color. So it shouldn’t be controversial to give the actress the nomination.
Here’s her nomination:
Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance – Motion Picture
– Andre Braugher – “Spirit Untamed” (Universal Pictures)
– Awkwafina – “Raya and the Last Dragon” (Walt Disney Studios)
– Brian Tyree Henry – “Vivo” (Netflix)
– Eric André – “Sing 2” (Universal Pictures)
– Letitia Wright – “Sing 2” (Universal Pictures)
But Awkwafina has gotten some pushback for the years she culturally appropriated Black culture, by putting on a fake “Blaccent” during her career.
As Bettina Makalintal wrote in Vice: “As she borrowed from Black culture in order to make a name for herself, the woman born Nora Lum performed a series of racial stereotypes for coolness and clout, and through that posturing, she made her way from viral internet rapper to critically acclaimed actress. […] When it comes to unpacking the conversation around Awkwafina, many seemingly conflicting things can be true at once. Awkwafina is groundbreaking, but she can also feel like a step backward.”
Black Twitter is going crazy. Look:
Why did the NAACP setup awkwafina like that tho Im still perplexed 😭
— Oluwamucho (@MuchoTV2) January 19, 2022
The NAACP is a fucking joke 🙄
— donjuan (@donjuandickler) January 19, 2022
https://twitter.com/SoloDoLeauxA/status/1483827610765434887https://twitter.com/queen_cee_jay/status/1483822739425304582
[social_warfare]awkwafina really blaccented her way into an naacp award
— gl☆ (@glowrlddx) January 19, 2022