BABA Response to Anti-Black Language Used During the BAFTA Film Awards

Public Statement

For Immediate Release
Tues Feb 24 2026
Contact: [email protected]

The incident that occurred on 2/22/26 at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Film Awards, in which a white man directed the n-word at two Black actors, Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, and later attributed it to his Tourette’s diagnosis, demands a clear and principled response from BAFTA and the host of the awards ceremony. The host, Alan Cumming’s response to this incident of racism was to ask the audience for “understanding” followed by an apology if people were offended. We firmly oppose the racism directed at Black actors that doesn’t recognize their humanity in the presence of a racial slur nor the necessity of making edits to ensure that the racial trauma was not broadcast widely. We observed the direct failure of institutions to protect and respect Black actors, which included Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo as well as audience members and those watching around the world. This further solidifies the global nature of anti-Black racism. Tourette’s syndrome can involve involuntary vocalizations, including in rare cases the use of socially inappropriate language. However, the existence of a neurological condition does not erase impact, nor does it absolve individuals or institutions from accountability.

Intersectionality requires us to hold multiple truths at once. It recognizes that systems of oppression do not operate in isolation and that individuals can simultaneously experience marginalization and hold privilege. In moments like this, that lens is essential. When Alan Cumming, a member of another historically marginalized group, publicly excused the incident, it underscores a necessary point: belonging to one oppressed community does not automatically confer fluency in all forms of oppression. Experiencing marginalization does not negate the responsibility to confront anti-Black racism. Marginalization in one domain does not erase privilege in another, particularly racial privilege.

The harm caused by anti-Black language does not become less harmful because someone later claims a medical explanation. Moreover, attributing racism to Tourette’s Syndrome is not supported by the scientific understanding of the condition and erases the experience of Black individuals who hold this diagnosis. This is not about ranking oppressions. It is about accountability across communities. Conflating a disability with anti-Black racism risks stigmatizing an entire community while failing to confront the specific issue at hand: the persistent dehumanization of Black people and the acceptance of this by our non-Black counterparts.

We understand that verbal behavior is shaped, reinforced, and maintained within social systems and institutions. Anti-Black slurs are not random; they are learned behaviors embedded in a broader history of racism and differential power. When racism is minimized or misattributed, it obscures the environmental variables that sustain it. As practitioners bound by ethical codes that emphasize dignity, equity, and cultural responsiveness, white behavior analysts, in particular, must examine how whiteness operates as both a position of privilege and a contextual variable that can either perpetuate or disrupt harm. Silence functions as reinforcement. Public accountability functions as intervention. If our science claims to value socially significant behavior change, then confronting anti-Black racism is not an option, it is a necessity.