Amandala Stenberg Snaps Back at Racist Haters
Since the release of the movie, “The Hunger Games” last weekend, there have been a lot of racial tension directed toward the three Black cast members, especially the beautiful 13-year-old Amandala Stenberg who plays the character of Rue. The film grossed $155 million thus far, but “fans” took to twitter to express their displeasure with the fact that the beloved character was played by an African American girl. Stenberg fired back at her racist haters with this classy statement Wednesday:
“As a fan of the books, I feel fortunate to be part of The Hunger Games family…It was an amazing experience; I am proud of the film and my performance. I want to thank all of my fans and the entire Hunger Games community for their support and loyalty.”
It still boggles ones mind as to why this young actress received all of this hate and criticism when it clearly states in The Hunger Games books that Rue was a girl with dark brown skin.
The teen starlets’ name means power and she has shown her strength by not letting the negative attention she’s been receiving take make her stoop down to the level of her critics or downplay the amazing job she did in the movie.
i also was thinking she isn’t black. bothers me when biracial people become the representatives of blackness when lots of times they don’t even want to be considered that.
Mixed people want so BAD to be classified as ‘mixed’ and yet, they still want to claim blackness when it suits them.
I throw no shade at this little girl, but her ilk is infuriating to deal with.
@LT
It’s called tailor made race!
What do you mean by her “ilk” (I’m confused) Did you mean irk?
I digress, her statement was not in response to the naysayers, she is merely thanking her fans… The title of the article is a little misleading. Also, when did she claim to be black?? , She merely is thanking the fans! It was a raceless statement! To be honest, although the person in the book is described as having “dark brown skin” to most white people a mixed race person’s skin would be dark brown to them. But yes, they could have chosen someone who is “fully” black, but it’s here nor there…
@Bosslady: By “ilk” I believe she meant other bi-racial people.
Seriously guys? She is pretty with minimal make-up. She cant win with white people, and clearly she cant win with some blacks either. Blame those who cast her, not this actress for being born with her skin tone.
I do she the overall point of wanting darker people in general, but let this girl have her day. She is so adorable. And she gives Willow Smith a run for ber money.
Yes! Thank you. ugh.
Exactly! Thank you. glad all of us aren’t uniformed and ignorant.
*correction- uninformed
Exactly what I was thinking. For some white people she’s not white enough. For some black people she’s not dark enough. I think she is a beautiful little girl and I’m happy that she got the part. At first I wasn’t interested in the movie but now I’m going to go see it. To me she’s black and I’m showing my support.
@ gfkag
no-one is casting blame for her look, we are just talking about the realities of the film world. Light skin stays winning, dark skin stays losing….can’t there be a balance, in casting. that’s all. Otherwise, I’m happy for miss thang!
to girlformerly….. maybe I missed something, but in the posts I read before you posted, no one blamed that child for anything?
Who blamed her? and blamed her for what?
If your black get back. If your brown stick around. If your white your alright. I think that is what many people see here and what they are commenting on. This was something our grandparents were saying and the film industry proves that time and again.
Well she’s obviously black to many of those racist tweeters, no matter how light skinned she is. Please don’t blame a young girl who’s already had enough shitty comments about her being black and now she has to deal with more shitty comments from people of her own race. Sad.
“From her own race?”
Whites are her own race too. It’s not black people’s job to save and defend bi-racial people. Are you seriously going with the racist notion that we should just accept anyone with black blood? You’re defending racism with racism.
@TheVoiceOfReason
Preach! The “One Drop” rule needs to go the way of the dinosaurs.
My first impression and many others was that she looked like a cute little black girl regardless of her skin tone. She is already treated like a black girl in America, probably more so than someone that looks like Rashida Jones. Her first name is Zulu for power, she wears hair styles that are worn by young black girls, she will probably acknowledge both ancestries, and she has been called horrible racist slurs, at this point she will or already have acknowledged both ancestries (nothing wrong with that), but it seems she will end up identifying strongly with blacks.
There was no point of people bringing this shadeism up, when the real issue was about racist tweeters who could not give a shit about which shade is lighter. I’m honestly tired of people who think they can dictate what is black or not. And don’t think the one drop rule will not help racial relations,but further divide the black community, just look at South America.
That still doesn’t make her fully black. No matter how she’s treated. If you are treated, and perceived as a whore does that make you one?
@Lola – “And don’t think the one drop rule will not help racial relations,but further divide the black community, just look at South America.”
That makes no sense. There wasn’t a one drop rule policy implemented in Latin America. They had castas and names for category of people with mixed ancestry – mulatto, criollo, zambos, cholos, etc. If anything, it was more popular to be considered white or closer to white than black if you had white blood. Race and color issue in Latin America have NOTHING to do with the one drop rule, which was implemented in the US to ensure the offspring of raped black women would remain slaves and have no right to inheritance or freedom. Sounds like a wonderful thing to base our community off of!
People have been talking this one drop rule foolishness for years. How has it made race relations better? If anything you have more dispute amongst blacks and mixed people.
White people, asian, people, indian people DON’T make black people. 2 black parents make black people and it is insulting to black people as a whole to insist that anything other than black will make black. This has to be a phenomena in the black community because I never hear any of racial minorities talking this nonsense.
@LemonNLime
*High Five*
@omfg and LT , How would you possibly know how all biracial people feel and what they consider themselves?? you both sound real childish and hateful throwing shade on a little girl. Would you want someone doing that to your dark black child?