Amandla Stenberg first gained fame when she was cast as Rue in the first Hunger Games film in 2012. Her newfound stardom was met with controversy at the time, as many viewers of the movie took to social media with racist messages lamenting the fact that Amandla — as well as the character — was black.
At 16, Amandla has become a powerful and inspiring voice when it comes to racial politics and gender equality. Her school history project on cultural appropriation, a four-minute video titled "Don't Cash Crop My Cornrows," went viral in April 2015 and started an important conversation about race and beauty. Over the Summer, the actress was involved in a public feud with Kylie Jenner after commenting on a photo of the reality TV star wearing her hair in cornrows; Amandla wrote, "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," to which Kylie responded, "Go hang w Jaden [Smith] or something."
Needless to say, Amandla's outspokenness and bravery have made her somewhat of a beacon of hope and pride for young women of color — especially those whose opinions are sometimes silenced and who are often made to feel unattractive if they have features that don't align with society's ideals of beauty. For someone so young, Amandla has quickly proven that she knows more about racial issues than most adults.
Follow her: @amandlastenberg
