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Amandla Stenberg

by Cynthia Wang from California

The Fight for Social Justice

In his article titled “Boy, Do We Ever Need a Hero,” David Granger defines heroes as the individuals whom society needs. They serve as guides in times of hardship. They serve as role models in times of peace. Heroism can be interpreted from a plethora of perspectives and encompasses a wide variety of actions; however, I am going to explore the topic from my perspective. A village farmer tirelessly tending to his fields to provide for a community is just as much of a hero as a prominent scientist or a politician. To me, worldwide recognition is not a prerequisite for heroism; rather, I believe that integrity and the willingness to fight for one’s beliefs are much more important criteria. In addition, heroism must come with consistency. If a person only does one good deed in his lifetime, he is not considered a true hero because he does not bring virtue to his community on a consistent basis. Reaching ideal heroism is a long route, as most do not have the proper mindset to always reflect on and carry these actions as part of their daily life. However, those who are rightfully honored as heroes all share the similar values of selflessness, consideration, and strong-mindedness. Heroes are the individuals who we, as a society, should consider as the archetype of a true hero.

One individual who possesses the traits of selflessness and determination is Amandla Stenberg. Stenberg is a nineteen-year-old, best known for her role as Rue in the 2012 Hunger Games film. She was born on October 23, 1998 in Los Angeles, California, where she began her modeling and acting career at the age of four through television commercials. Stenberg is biracial, her mother being African-American and her father being Dutch, and her parents chose her name, “Amandla,” because it is the Zulu and Xhosa word for “power.” Stenberg first-handedly experienced racism while attending a mostly white private school. She recalls the incidents regarding race and wealth gaps: “All of a sudden, I was paying attention to wealth and what it meant to be white in America” (Aguirre). Her experiences in a school confined her to the weak minority, a position where she was constantly harassed and beleaguered by the majority. As a result, she began her acting career in 2011, determined only to play strong characters to prove that regardless of what field of oppression one may face, such characters could still be so powerful. After being acknowledged for her activism and outspokenness, Stenberg was named “Feminist Celebrity of 2015” by the Ms. Foundation and received the title of “Most Influential Teen” from Time magazine in both 2015 and 2016. Additionally, Oprah Winfrey, who was inspired by her activism, invited Stenberg to give a talk titled “My Authenticity Is My Activism” in 2016. In the same month, she was called by Beyoncé to film an album, where Beyoncé told Stenberg that she hoped her daughter would grow up to be just like her. Due to her thoughtful decisions when auditioning for an acting role, Stenberg exhibits selflessness when giving up her own roles to promote a more diverse community in films. Instead of deliberating on her roles for monetary potential, she bases her decisions on the impact and message that the role will have on society. Furthermore, Stenberg demonstrates her strong-mindedness by always standing up for what is right and disregarding what others think of her. Whenever she notices a stereotype placed on her character in acting, she is quick to ask her director for a change. Because of her selfless actions to promote diverse representation in mass media and her strong-minded character that allows her to openly express and defend her beliefs, Amandla Stenberg embodies the characteristics of a true hero, making her worthy of receiving admiration and respect from society.

Stenberg demonstrates her selflessness by devoting her dreams to promoting film diversity. During an interview, Stenberg shares how she feels about the minimal representation in today’s films: “There are so many different kinds of people that aren’t represented, that don’t have characters who look like them. And that’s one of the reasons why I intend on being a director, because I want to actually tell some of these stories” (“Interview Magazine”). Stenberg clearly demonstrates her selflessness because she chooses to be a director for the sake of others—to cast those who are not usually represented in mass media. While she wishes to pursue directing as a living, her key reason to be a director is to cast unique actors and actresses and make sure that there are actual characters suited for them in order to encourage representation through her films. Her selfless dream allows her to believe that promoting diversity and sharing people’s stories are the most important aspects of being a director, rather than monetary gain. Furthermore, Stenberg ended up dropping her role in Black Panther, one of the biggest films of the year, because she is biracial: “… I got really, really close… And I was like, this isn't right. These are all dark skin actors playing Africans and I feel like it would have just been off to see me as a bi-racial American with a Nigerian accent just pretending that I'm the same colour as everyone else in the movie” (Parris). Although the decision was excruciating because she had worked extremely hard for it, Stenberg was willing to drop her role in Black Panther because she did not want to compromise her authenticity as biracial in a movie where the characters were supposed to be fully African. Stenberg exemplifies selflessness in her decision because she wanted the story to be best represented and thus turned down such a lucrative role. Her sacrifice shows that she is very mindful of the movie’s racial significance—to mark a milestone on the importance of diverse cultural representation in American films—and wishes to not interfere with its purpose. By sacrificing popularity and furthering her career in order to uphold her authenticity, Stenberg proves her heroism because of the selfless reasoning she applies in her everyday life when making all decisions.

Whenever Stenberg sees ignorance, she displays strong-mindedness by expressing her opinions and sticking to them despite the consequences. When filming, Stenberg always addresses issue whenever she notices one and is bold to speak her mind: “If I see something I think is insensitive, or that kids won't be able to relate to, or I think doesn't accurately reflect my experience, then I'll speak up about it and tell the director and producer, 'Hey, I think we should try it this way...’” (Vincent). Stenberg portrays strong-mindedness in correcting others when the scripts she receives make her character into a stereotype. Although she could risk getting deferred or even fired in the worst case by disagreeing with the script, she still chooses to express her opinions, which emphasizes her strong will for the better. Because of her courage, Stenberg is unafraid to speak for herself, even for small change to her script, in order to make sure that her character is portrayed in the most accurate way possible. By doing this, she is able to act the best she can because she does not let stereotypes hinder her success. Moreover, Stenberg delivered a powerful message in her high school history assignment, a video on cultural appropriation titled “Don’t Cash Crop My Cornrows” that focuses specifically on the issue of non-black celebrities adopting the traditional hairstyle of cornrows, distinct to the African-American culture: “Narrating on-camera with the confidence of a trial lawyer, Stenberg closes her case with a pointed question: ‘What would America be like if we loved black people as much as we love black culture?’” (Aguirre). In her video, Stenberg draws attention to the many celebrities who have appropriated cornrows—an example of poor and disrespectful behavior towards a minority culture, which often happens in today’s society. Even though Stenberg’s video received much criticism and caused controversy online, Stenberg still took the risk of expressing her opinion to the public, hoping that bringing awareness to the matter would influence others to learn respect for cultures besides their own. Stenberg’s strong-mindedness allows her to be unafraid when calling others out for their inconsiderate actions and display immense courage by delivering her message to the world, despite knowing the consequences she would eventually face. Because of her strong mindset, Stenberg is able to openly share her viewpoints with others and always abides by her morals no matter what.

As exemplified through her selflessness and determination when confronted with disrespect and stereotyping, Stenberg clearly reflects the values of an ideal hero. While most actors and actresses choose roles that they are likely to benefit most from, Stenberg always puts cultural authenticity and social education ahead of monetary gain. As difficult as it was, Stenberg dropped her role in Black Panther because of her lighter skin in order to give the opportunity to someone who had a darker complexion. For the purpose of respecting a movie, she chose to sacrifice expanding her popularity instead of sacrificing her authenticity, displaying her selfless nature. Along with this, Stenberg is unafraid to speak out whenever she notices inconsideration, as exemplified by her response to cultural appropriation, thus demonstrating her strong will to advocate for the better of humanity. Moreover, Stenberg personally serves as an inspiration because of her determined mindset and passion she shows in everything she does: “I'm just someone who cannot fake it. I can only do something with my full heart invested or just not do it at all” (Parris). Through her words, Stenberg teaches us that being completely dedicated to a single task always produces the best results, and we should always have this mindset when undertaking anything. This quote constantly applies to my life, especially when practicing my instruments. When I was little and the only way my mother could get me to practice the piano was by forcing me; I never completely focused on practicing and I would often zone out. My eyes would wander around the room and my ears would block out my playing so that I would not realize which measure I was at in my piece. But after realizing that I could never focus whenever I was forced to practice, I learned to become self-disciplined without needing someone to tell me to practice. In contrast to piano, I am very passionate about the violin and my heart was fully invested in the instrument from the very beginning. Despite starting at a much later age, I improved significantly because every day, I dedicate a large portion of my time and effort on practicing the violin. As a result of this, I was able to surpass many other violinists who have been playing the violin for much longer than I have. Because of my passion for the violin, my violin practice sessions are significantly more productive than piano. Furthermore, Stenberg’s selfless nature, in particular, inspired me to show consideration towards others and put thought into making decisions in life. A few weeks ago, my sister was under an overwhelming amount of stress because of a major project and frequently skipped dinner. Combined with her homework, she was only able to get a couple hours of sleep every night. To make sure that she at least had enough energy to do her schoolwork, I heated up food from that evening and carried the plates to her room. In addition, I wiped up her desk and washed the dishes after she finished eating. Even though I also had minimal free time, I always made sure that my sister never worked with an empty stomach. Stenberg’s unyielding passion and consideration for others are traits that we should all learn from her and apply to our lives. Today, social justice is still a prominent issue that has been present for many centuries. Although society has notably improved since then, we are still constantly exposed to racial discrimination just about every day. African Americans are significantly more often the subject of police brutality than any other ethnic group. In times like these, we need heroes to look up to and help us overcome difficulties. Heroes must have the determination to change a part of society, as Stenberg undoubtedly does, making her an individual who exceeds the definition of a hero. Through her constant fight for the equality of all people, Amandla Stenberg sacrifices publicity in order to stick to her morals and authenticity, thus proving her willpower to change the world for the greater good.


Works Cited

Aguirre, Abby. “Amandla Stenberg Is a Voice for the Future.” Vogue, Vogue, 26 May 2017, www.vogue.com/article/amandla-stenberg-interview-

          gender-feminism-black-culture.

“Amandla Stenberg.” Interview Magazine, Interview Magazine, 29 Mar. 2016, www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/amandla-stenberg.

Granger, David. “Boy, Do We Ever Need a Hero.” Esquire, vol. 130, no. 5, Nov. 1998, p. 26. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx

          direct=true&db=aph&AN=h1220165& site=ehost-live.

Parris, Amanda. “5 Things You Should Probably Know about Amandla Stenberg CBC Arts.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 23 Feb. 2018,

          www.cbc.ca/arts/5-things-you-should-probably-know-about-amandla-stenberg-1.4549677.

Vincent, Melissa. “Amandla Stenberg, a rising star with a gutsy spirit.” Globe & Mail[Toronto, Canada], 20 Feb. 2018, p. A15. Biography In Context,

          https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A528198706/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=6ea6a2c2.

 

Page created on 5/23/2018 7:32:26 PM

Last edited 6/14/2020 5:13:43 AM

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