The new Disney Plus Star Wars series The Acolyte stars Amandla Stenberg as not just one – but two new characters. Stenberg plays both Osha and Mae in the series which has received mixed reviews from audiences. As fans have become accustomed to, however, some of these audience members have outright attacked the show’s cast and crew. Now Amandla Stenberg has responded to the racist backlash she’s faced with a new song.
In today’s world, there are plenty of different ways to respond to backlash. Some people choose to release statements directly on social media. Others choose to ignore the hate or even disable their accounts. As such, it’s certainly unique to see Amandla Stenberg defend herself through song.
The song appears to have been written after an interview with Amandla Stenberg from 2018 went viral online. Social media users dug up the video in the mix of their discussions regarding The Acolyte, to speak about Stenberg and her thoughts on a completely separate topic. The out-of-context clip that social media has been running with is Stenberg saying “white people crying was the goal.”
Now, years later, Stenberg has done her best to respond to the clip on social media. As shared in her caption timed to coincide with Juneteenth:
“Happy Juneteenth 🖤
and to those who are flooding me with intolerable racism—
since it took me 72 hours on my laptop to make this song and video, u got 72 hours to respond. and I expect choreo!!”
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As of this writing, the video currently has more than 98,000 likes on Instagram. Many of Stenberg’s fans have supported her efforts in the video’s comments, claiming that they now love her even more than before. Likewise, they believe she has been a beneficial addition to the Star Wars franchise.
It’s certainly interesting to see Stenberg respond with such an unusual tactic, but it’s one that appears to be paying off. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates on Amandla Stenberg and the Disney Plus series The Acolyte as we have them.