Source: WENN
Though most of the media and your ignorant Facebook friends are reporting and reacting to the news of the Baltimore Uprising with little to no compassion or desire to understand, actress Amandla Stenberg, has issued one of the realest responses we’ve heard from celebrities. (Though Russell Simmons did have a pretty good one, referencing the problematic nature of people referencing Black on Black crime.) Many of you may remember Stenberg as Rue from The Hunger Games franchise. With wisdom that we don’t frequently associate with 16-year-olds, we wish a few more people were speaking out with as much truth.
Here’s what Amandla said, on Twitter.
My prayers go out to all my brothers & sisters in Baltimore. This battle is hard but crucial. The revolutionary youth will change the world.
— Amandla Stenberg (@amandlastenberg) April 28, 2015
Don't condemn our anger. Don't denounce our pain as savage. What's savage is the cruel inhumanity and brutality of the police. Condemn that.
— Amandla Stenberg (@amandlastenberg) April 28, 2015
If you’ve seen The Hunger Games, it’s about an oppressive government who, for sport, allows teenagers from thirteen districts to kill each other or be killed. Those who have not seen the movie and plan on it, you might want to check out here as there are some spoilers coming up.
There are obvious similarities between what’s going on in The Hunger Games, which millions of Americans, of all races, watch and enjoy. One fan wrote about them and Stenberg reblogged the comment on her Tumblr.
Source: Tumblr
Same stuff. Art imitating life. But for some reason when the protest is being used as a method of entertainment, people are much more sympathetic. Priorities all of out whack.
Either way, I appreciate Stenberg for living up to her name and speaking out about the pain and injustice that caused the uprising. There have been far too many others, even those in positions of extreme power, who have refused.
