Amandla Stenberg: 'Power' in a New Light

Amandla Stenberg 

Amandla Stenberg is a non-binary, biracial creator. They are responsible for so many projects such as modeling, acting, making music, and last but most definitely not least, they are a part of the activist community. Considering all the uniqueness, including the fact that their name means 'power' in Xhosa and Zulu, in Stenberg you can't be surprised by the impact they have on all kinds of communities. Not only are they of African American descent, but they are also a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Amandla is a part of fighting the good fight when it comes to feminism, racism and sexual identity. Despite taking a healthy break from social media for a bit of time, they came back with the realization of using social media as an outlet for their activism. Stenberg speaks out for social injustices, #BlackLivesMatter, LGTBQ+ rights, cultural appropriation, intersectional feminism and many more. Each post on their Tumblr and Instagram pages show an idea of who they are and what they believe in. Stenberg isn't someone who lets people get away with ignorance, they speak out and let you know when you have been wrongly informed or when you have expressed something without giving proper representation.

Stenberg has been in quite a few big-time movies including The Hunger Games, The Darkest Minds, Everything Everything, and many more. They were offered a role for Black Panther but politely declined after a few auditions realizing the part wasn’t for them. Stenberg stated that:

“I didn't think it would be appropriate for me to be in the movie as a lighter-skinned biracial actress. I noticed the casting choices were all actors who were either actually African or darker-skinned and I think there would be something wrong about me as a light, more privileged actor, taking a role from a darker actor with a Nigerian accent."(1) 

In 2015 Stenberg made a video for a school project called Don't Cash Crop on My Cornrows where they made well thought out explanations and opinions on black culture appropriation. They pointed out how white singers will use the pieces of black culture that they want, but won't speak out when it comes to racism and protests.

Stenberg even called out Kylie Jenner as well during 2015 for having cornrows and leaving her comment as "I woke up like disss." Amandla commented back with "When u appropriate black features and culture but fail to use ur position of power to help black Americans by directing attention towards ur wigs instead of police brutality or racism #whitegirlsdoitbetter."(2) Stenberg has called out more than just Kylie, but this is just a prime example of what she does with her social status as an activist.

Kylie and Amandla's Instagram Feud Over Cultural Appropriation

In 2015 Stenberg was named Feminist of the Year by the Ms. Foundation for Women along with fellow feminist Rowan Blanchard. It was stated that "Stenberg has schooled the public about cultural appropriation, advocated young women to engage with STEM, pointed out how problematic the 'angry black girl' narrative is, added her voice to the Black Lives Matter movement and written movingly about the subjugation of black women in the media -- all in the last year."(3)



In an interview with Indie Magazine Stenberg was asked about the #timesupmovement and they talked about how they went to their agency with a group of women and spoke to representatives about changing the way the workplace functions and about employing more people of color and women. They also demanded 50/50 diversity by 2020, 50 percent women and 50 percent diversity of non-white staff. (4) 


In 2016, Amandla got to interview famous feminist icon Gloria Steinem and they had deep discussions on the waves of feminism, the real meaning of feminism, and everything having to do with women. One of the main things that Stenberg said that I thought was fascinating was when they said: 

Amandla Stenberg and Gloria Steinem during TeenVogue interview

"I never did not identify as a feminist, but I didn't know where I belonged because I didn't see myself represented. As I started to explore my gender identity, I didn't know how I could claim the title of feminist without subscribing to the gender binary. I thought I had to be a proud woman to be a feminist. Then I came to the realization that I can be proud of women without necessarily identifying as one. A lot of people are rejecting the binary--that's the future of feminism."(5)

Here are some infamous quotes mentioned by Amandla Stenberg on feminism, gender identity, and representation:
"Discussions Are Healthy. Ignorance Is Not."

"What Would America Be Like If We Loved Black People As Much As We Love Black Culture?"

"My Activism Does Not Need Proof To Be Real. It Exists In The Work Of My Bones Against Weight In The Morning."

"My Sexuality's Very Fluid, And My Gender Is Very Fluid."(6)

References:

• Wolff, Sophia. “Amandla Stenberg on Activism And Fighting For Gender Equality – INDIE.” INDIE Magazine, 26 Apr. 2018, indie-mag.com/2018/04/amandla-stenberg-interview/.
• Workneh, Lilly. “Amandla Stenberg Calls Out Kylie Jenner For Cultural Appropriation.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 12 July 2015, www.huffpost.com/entry/amandla-stenberg-kylie-jenner_n_55a28697e4b0ecec71bc5141.
• Gray, Emma. “These Young Women Were Named Feminists Of The Year. Hell Yeah.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 17 Dec. 2015, www.huffpost.com/entry/amandla-stenberg-rowan-blanchard-the-future-of-feminism_n_5672c98be4b0688701dc6172.
• Strehlke, Sade. “We Paired Feminist Icon Gloria Steinem with Amandla Stenberg and This Is What Happened.” Teen Vogue, Teen Vogue, 15 Aug. 2017, www.teenvogue.com/story/gloria-steinem-and-amandla-stenberg-feminist-conversation.
• Summers, Meaghan. “12 Amandla Stenberg Quotes About Activism, Gender & Knowing How To Make Your Dreams A Reality.” YourTango, 20 June 2019, www.yourtango.com/2019325364/amandla-stenberg-quotes-activism-gender.