As “Sinners” actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented an award at the British Academy Film and Television Awards, John Davidson, the man who inspired the BAFTA-winning film “I Swear,” could be heard shouting the N-word from the audience at Jordan and Lindo. It is a bitter reminder that their fame, success, wealth and prestige cannot shield their Blackness. Davidson’s racist outburst did not stop at Jordan or Lindo; the slurs eclipsed fellow “Sinners” castmate Wunmi Mosaku’s award as she received it. Davidson has since apologized for his flare-ups; however, the most concerning and detrimental aspect of this incident is the discourse, and the British Broadcasting Corporation’s egregious error in failing to cut the offensive outbursts.
Davidson did not voluntarily hurl racial slurs at the cast of “Sinners.” He suffers from a neurological disorder that causes unwanted and uncontrolled movements or vocal sounds: Tourette Syndrome. The disorder can manifest in many forms, including through involuntary outbursts of derogatory and obscene remarks.
Davidson’s condition is to blame for this incident, but it does not in any way, shape or form diminish the effects — the putridness — of a word created to police and demean the existence of Black skin. To put it simply, Jordan and Lindo experienced racial abuse while at work.
These crucial opposing realities have turned the debate surrounding disability and racism into a black-and-white issue. The lack of nuance and acknowledgement of a grey area, in which the BBC failed to protect the “Sinners” cast and Davidson by not editing, censoring nor immediately acknowledging the verbal abuse to the cast after it occurred.
Mosaku beautifully explained her outrage when criticizing the BAFTA’s miscalculation, even after the film studio Warner Bros immediately notified BAFTA of the incident.
“It felt exploitative and performative to have someone there without the full protection of everyone, including him, and anyone in that audience,” Mosaku stated.
The BBC apologized and removed the video the following day, and Davidson apologized for his remarks, but the damage had already been done.
The outrage and discomfort the internet has voiced over Davidson’s comments are justified, but it is vital to note that anger and discomfort must not and should not be aimed at Davidson’s lack of control over his outburst — it should be at the structure that minimized and dismissed the harmful effects of racism. BAFTA host Alan Cumming solely asked for understanding right after the incident, completely erasing the impact of the abuse. BBC conveniently remembered to not air award-winning filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr’s free Palestine call but failed to protect the cast of “Sinners” by publicizing their racialized abuse.
Davidson’s comments were and are detrimental, but when an individual’s condition is the root cause of their harmful words or actions, the only thing that person can do afterwards is damage control. BBC’s appalling failure should be indicative of a clear systemic disregard for Black suffering, dismissing racist remarks in the name of respectability politics.
