After footage of her 2016 interview resurfaced, the 'Arrested Development' actress offers an apology and assures she has been learning about being an ally amid the Black Lives Matter protests.
- June 10, 2020
AceShowbiz - Actress Alia Shawkat has apologized for using a racial slur during a 2016 interview.
Footage of the actress using the N-word during a discussion at a South By Southwest festival event in Austin, Texas resurfaced online last week (ends June 05), prompting the "Arrested Development" star to do a little soul searching.
And she has addressed the issue in a lengthy Instagram statement.
"I am writing this to address a video of me quoting a song with the n-word in it as part of an interview 4 years ago," she wrote. "I am deeply sorry and take full responsibility... I regret using a word that carries so much pain and history to black people, as it was never a word to be used by someone who is not black."
Shawkat added that while she is a woman of color, she is working to be more mindful of the struggle faced by the African-American community following the recent Black Lives Matter protests.
"I have been learning so much about what it truly means to be an ally," she added. "The voices of black people must be amplified and heard clearly. As an Arabic woman, who can pass for white, I'm working hard to process this nuanced access I've been afforded and I realize how important it is to be hyper vigilant in the spaces I exist in."
