The official Star Wars social media accounts have put out a statement defending Obi-Wan Kenobi star Moses Ingram after racist fans have attacked her.
It is a well-documented fact that the toxic ends of the Star Wars fandom are notoriously racist toward Black and brown people.
Ingram, who joined the Star Wars franchise as Reva Sevander in the new series Obi-Wan Kenobi, has been subject to racist messages and online harassment.
Ingram, who joined the Star Wars franchise as Reva Sevander / The Third Sister in the new Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, has been subject to racist messages and online harassment.
The actress, who has appeared in shows and films such as The Queen’s Gambit and The Tragedy of Macbeth, received support from the official Star Wars Twitter and Instagram accounts
View this post on Instagram
"There are more than 20 million sentient species in the Star Wars galaxy, don't choose to be a racist," the statement said. "We are proud to welcome Moses Ingram to the Star Wars family and excited for Reva's story to unfold. If anyone intends to make her feel in any way unwelcome, we have only one thing to say: we resist."
Speaking out on the racist backlash she’s received, Ingram also took to her Instagram stories.
She only referenced a few of the messages, but noted there were plenty more.
“Long story short, there are hundreds of those, hundreds. and I also see those of you out there who put on a cape for me and that really does mean the world to me, because there’s nothing anybody can do about this,” Ingram said. “Thank you to the people who show up for me in the comments, in the places that I’m not gonna put myself. To the rest of y’all, y’all weird.”
Of course, Ingram is not the only Star Wars actor or actress to be the subject of racism from the movie franchise’s toxic fans.
Of course, Ingram is not the only Star Wars actor or actress to be the subject of racism from the movie franchise’s toxic fans.
In an interview with Variety in 2020, fellow Star Wars actor John Boyega sent a call out to studios to intervene against racist fandom.
“When one of your actors, especially an actor that’s so prominent in the story, is announced as part of your franchise and then it has a big racial backlash and receives abuse online and that starts to form a shadow on what is supposed to be an amazing gift, it is important for the studios to definitely lend their voice, lend their support to that and to have a sense of solidarity not just in the public eye, but on the ground on set,” Boyega said.
