You may remember Amandla Stenberg from her role as “Rue” in The Hunger Games. This beautiful Black actress is more than just a pretty face. She is 16 now and she has stuff to say. When it comes to breaking down her thoughts on how she perceives race, culture & society there is really no need because she does it just fine on her own. Her video is her summation of how she feels that other races adopt and integrate Black culture and music but yet still show hate to Black people. She begins by discussing the Cornrow natural hair style and that Black hairstyles are a big part of HipHop/Rap culture. She explained cultural appropriation. She used several video clips of artists like Katy Perry & Iggy Azalea. She referenced recent incidences of police brutality to make her point. I am so proud and amazed at the stand that our young women our taking these days. Girls like Amandla Stenberg, Zendaya, and Mo’Ne Davis are teaching us important lessons and indeed breaking stereotypes about young people and our future.
Zendaya with her tasteful response to the negative criticism that she received regarding her loc’d natural hair style.
Mo’Ne with her sympathetic response regarding the grown man who called her a slut on Twitter and now Amandla. It blesses my heart to see that our youth have their own voices and that they are not afraid to use them. Not only that but they are doing it with intellect, style and grace.
You can check out a copy of Amandla’s video right here:
…cultural appropriation is rampant. Amandla Stenberg
She poses a very interesting and poignant question at the end of her video: What Would America Be Like if We Loved Black People As Much as We Love Black Culture. Well. What if…
Thoughts?
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