Dionne Warwick performs onstage during the "Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives" Premiere Concert during the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival at Radio City Music Hall on April 19, 2017 in New York City.
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Dionne Warwick’s Twitter Account Is the Black Auntie Hug I’m Wrapping Myself in Right Now

Please take time out of your day to engage with Auntie Dionne
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Briana Lawrence
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Published: Dec 18, 2020 04:55 pm

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Therapy: expensive.

Scrolling through Dionne Warwick’s Twitter feed: free.

The legendary singer has been incredibly active on social media lately and it’s been an absolute treat to watch her engage with everyone. I can’t help but think of my own mother who, by the way, refers to it as The Twitter.

The vibe of the self-titled Auntie Dionne is exactly that, the cool aunt in your family who most definitely gives the best presents and passes out cash if you show off a bunch of As on your report card. She’s taken to Twitter to talk about everything she’s learning, ranging from popular video game franchises to various marginalized communities.

I’ve picked out a couple of my favorite tweets, but I implore you to check out the entire feed yourself.

But first, this incredible bio:

Screenshot of Dionne Warwick's bio

Perfection. I ain’t even mad, Auntie Dionne, bios take too much effort and Google is free.

  • The pinned tweet

This is such an important message and it’s right at the top of her page. As a Black bisexual woman, one of the things I’ve been told when dealing with bigotry is that there’s a subsect of people who just won’t understand me, and may even hate me, because they’re from a different era where it was commonplace to discriminate against certain groups. To see a woman who is from that era say “I’m here to learn” proves that you can absolutely adjust your way of thinking, you just have to be willing to do it.

Sure, some of the terminologies may not have been as prevalent back then when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community, for example, but that doesn’t mean there’s no way to learn now. Hell, I’m decades younger than Auntie Dionne and there are terms I’ll be learning right alongside her.

We don’t know it all as people, and will never know it all, which is why it’s important to listen. The learning experience is lifelong, it doesn’t stop when you hit a certain again and you certainly shouldn’t use it as an excuse for hatred because “back in my day harassing this marginalized group was ok.”

(Spoiler: oppression was never ok so stop telling me that your grandparents are racist/sexist/homophobic/etc. cuz “old age.” Tell them to take a page from Auntie Dionne.)

  • Understanding what the kids are saying these days

I have nothing deep to add to this. This is straight-up my mother, who will legit call me on the phone to ask me to define something to her. Recently, I had to explain what a headcanon was because of an article I wrote. Auntie Dionne is right. Black women WILL get on the phone, y’all.

Fortunately, someone explained it to her.

And she was thankful for it :)

  • Asking the important questions

Auntie? Did he follow back though? That’s what I wanna know.

  •  When a Black woman says she’s proud of you it’s scientifically proven to clear your skin

In an earlier tweet, Auntie Dionne asked about everyone’s favorite emerging artists. Chloe x Halle was mentioned, as they should be, and this was the exchange:

My entire soul is cleansed by this. Getting a Black woman’s approval for what you’re out here doing is always an added HP boost for me, especially if she throws in a sis when she says it.

  • Expert gif usage

Do you see that? That’s years of practice, the kind of gif usage training that takes place on a secluded mountain where you meditate directly under a waterfall.

Ah. See? She knew what to do before she got on here, I most definitely floundered about like a misguided guppy. Auntie Dionne, I shall continue to monitor you so that I may learn your refined skills.

  • Girl???

While we definitely want to make sure our beloved Auntie is on the right track, we must remember to address her properly.

This was in reference to Auntie Dionne finding out that she could search her name and see what’s being said about her. A dangerous practice indeed, so I can understand the concern. While she definitely appreciates what we’re all showing her she made sure to point out how she’s not a girl anymore. Apologies were made and all was forgiven.

  • The #HeyDionne tag

In her ongoing attempt to learn and grow, Auntie Dionne came up with the #HeyDionne tag where people could discuss different topics with her. This was in the realm of diversity, including how to be better about accessibility, inclusion, and representation. Auntie Dionne took the time to boost particular responses she felt strongly about and even mentioned things she would do from now own to make sure she was being a better person. There’s quite a bit going on in this tag but I’ll share some highlights.

  • Auntie Dionne and Animal Crossing

Oh boy, this made my entire existence! I know I keep referencing my mother, but when I started playing Animal Crossing this year she had very similar reactions!

“What do you do in the game?” My mother asked me. I explained it to her and I could just hear how perplexed she was because “Don’t you do all that stuff in real life?”

Full disclosure, no, I don’t, because I don’t try and sneak up on scorpions, plant bags of money to get money trees, and put up wallpaper where it literally snows all around me (the last two I wish I could do but the scorpions can GTFO).

At one point she thought that you cross different animal breeds, at another point she referred to it as Animal Kingdom, and eventually, she got into the habit of asking if I got together with my friends to play that one game where you decorate your house.

So here’s Auntie Dionne’s journey into Animal Crossing. Did anyone tell her that you take out a loan from a raccoon and make money from turnips, insects, and fish?

Careful, Auntie, this is how the descent into 800+ hours of blue rose breeding begins.

  • This break-up advice

Someone tweeted at Auntie Dionne and asked for good breakup song suggestions. This was her response:

Damn, I just… wow, yeah, do something fun! Try and cheer yourself up! I hear Animal Crossing is a good serotonin boost.

I’m gonna end this on this last tweet which I’m sure the answer would be a resounding YES!

Take care, Auntie! Thank you for sharing your experiences with all of us! You always say goodnight when you logoff so I’ll do the same: goodnight!

(Image: Theo Wargo/Getty Staff)

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Author
Image of Briana Lawrence
Briana Lawrence
Briana (she/her - bisexual) is trying her best to cosplay as a responsible adult. Her writing tends to focus on the importance of representation, whether it’s through her multiple book series or the pieces she writes. After de-transforming from her magical girl state, she indulges in an ever-growing pile of manga, marathons too much anime, and dedicates an embarrassing amount of time to her Animal Crossing pumpkin patch (it's Halloween forever, deal with it Nook)
twitter Link to www.magnifiquenoir.com