“Arrested Development” actress Alia Shawkat, who is rumored to have just moved in with Brad Pitt, has just issued an apology after a 2016 video surfaced in which she used the N-word.
Daily Mail reported that the video, which was posted to Twitter last week, shows the 31 year-old throwing around the slur casually during a panel at South by Southwest. The video flew under the radar until someone tweeted it directly to Shawkat, telling her to “watch yourself.”
@ShawkatAlia I hope you’re still not using the N word like you did here. you’re not black so watch yourself pic.twitter.com/NCMi81qcqK
— skai jackson stan (@skaijackson54) June 5, 2020
Shawkat issued a lengthy apology on Instagram on Monday night, writing:
I am deeply sorry and I take full responsibility. It was a careless moment, one I’m ashamed and embarrassed by but vow to continue to learn from. I regret using a word that carries so much pain and history for black people, as it is never a word to be used by someone who is not black. I have been learning so much about what it truly means to be an ally. 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. I have been trying to understand the real definition of the word ally. It is more than simply believing in equality but to be willing to act with and for the black community.
I aim to fight against these injustices that this isn’t about a title but an action to work against these systems that have protected me but not others. I am sorry that my ignorance has led to this moment. I will continue to support the black community as best as I can and to learn from this.
We as non-black people must all take responsibility for the inactivity we’ve been comfortable to sit with that has so long — that has gotten us here. Silence is violence, and so are the words we irresponsibly throw out. I plan to stay engaged and learn from my friends who are helping me understand.”
This comes as rumors have been swirling that Shawkat and Pitt, 56, have moved in together after forming a “tight bond” while in quarantine. The pair were reportedly introduced by mutual friends in 2019, and their bond was strengthened by the fact that they lived just ten minutes apart before they allegedly moved in together.
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