The NAACP Image Awards this past weekend resulted in Keke Palmer winning The Entertainer of the Year Award. This came as a surprise to Palmer, and her iconic imitation of Cynthia Erivo’s, “Defying Gravity,” riff in Wicked while accepting the award was a highlight of the ceremony. While Palmer gave her flowers to Erivo, some fans considered her actions shady, considering the past remarks Erivo has made about Black Americans. Additionally, when Kerry Washington won the NAACP Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture, she was equally surprised because Erivo was also nominated and favored to win in the category. As an Oscar nominee for Best Actress in a Leading Role, if Erivo wins, she will become the youngest person to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT) award. So, why are some fans conflicted about supporting her while others vow never to support her altogether? Let’s explore why Erivo’s past tweets about Black Americans are still haunting her acclaimed success.
Erivo’s tweets from a decade ago still have a sour taste in the mouths of some Black Americans due to the disrespect of their ethnicity, culture, and history. One of her old tweets mocks what a, “ghetto,” American accent sounds like using African American Vernacular English. She also retweeted a statement that affirmed how some Black Americans are jealous of Africans who have immigrated to the US. In the past, Erivo also inserted herself into a conversation about the Black American experience unprovoked, by responding to tweets and downplaying their lived experiences. Additionally, she defended her good friend, author and speaker, Luvvie Ajayi, who is known for making ignorant comments about Black Americans in the past.
As a result of these actions, some Black Americans also took issue with Erivo being chosen to portray Harriet Tubman, a historic and iconic figure to their community, in the movie Harriet . She mentioned to the New York Times that she doesn’t perceive a difference between being Black in America as opposed to England due to the shared similarity of displacement. Based on old tweets, when challenged about the importance of Black American actors playing historical roles such as Harriet, she asserts that her parents are African and she is Black, indicating that should suffice. Erivo’s pushback via tweets affirmed that if Black Brits aren’t allowed to play American roles, then Black Americans should also not play African roles.
The sense of dismissal and erasure of Black American actors from such historic roles did not sit well with some members of the community, especially considering Erivo later played the legendary Aretha Franklin in the Genius series. This made it seem that when it was convenient to be Black, such as when accepting historically Black American roles, Erivo embraced the shared Black experience. However, she also simultaneously distanced herself from Black American culture and mannerisms through her ignorant tweets, which contradicted her actions. Benefiting off Black American experiences while also disrespecting people from said culture is an important reason why some people are conflicted about supporting Erivo.
During an interview at the Toronto International Film Festival, Erivo doubled down on the ignorant remarks of her tweets and claimed her words were taken out of context. She never issued a formal apology to indicate intentional reflection about listening to Black American voices and honoring their unique ethnic identity. While some Black people have completely opted out of supporting Erivo, others feel that the Black community is very selective about who receives grace. Some have argued that male entertainers who are pedophiles and abusers are still accepted in the community, while Erivo is being judged too harshly. While this is an important point to note, it is also necessary to acknowledge the harm that Erivo’s disrespectful tweets caused and hold space for the negative impact despite her intent.
While Black immigrants and Black Americans share a racial identity in this country, it is still their responsibility to educate themselves on the culture, history, and ethnicity of descendants of enslaved people in the US. Otherwise, the lack of cultural awareness and sensitivity will result in disrespectful and ignorant remarks such as Erivo’s. The lack of cultural sensitivity also further perpetuates the myth that Black Americans don’t have a culture or a home to return to when they already have deep ancestral roots in this country.
Other Africans in the diaspora may dismiss Black Americans as an ethnicity, but they should be quick to remember that we are all consumers of Black American culture, which is globally transported through their music, aesthetics, lingo, etc… Additionally, Black immigrants would not be able to migrate to the U.S. without the blood, sweat, and tears of Black Americans who paved the way for immigrants to access opportunities in this country. This is where the phrase, “you can’t shit where you eat,” rings true. Therefore, despite Erivo’s undeniable talent as a performer, only time will tell if her non-supporters will change their minds. We can only hope she’s unlearned her ignorance since making those tweets.
What's Your Reaction?
I never cared for her representing us on major historical movies either. I don’t believe she is paying tribute but rather just playing the part that gives her the most noteriety. I would be able to forgive if she simply addressed it plainly. If you feel a way or not, just stand ten toes down so we know who you are.
Yes, there are plenty of American black women who could play these roles, and have amazing singing voices. Sometimes black immigrants have worse biases than non- blacks. They don’t know we (black Americans) built America, literally.