To all the black Harry Potter fans out there, we finally got our black Hermione!
Yes, you read that right! Noma Dumezweni will be starring as Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which is a short story that takes place 19 years after the last Harry Potter book. Of course, when I heard this, I was beyond excited and I definitely was not the only one. It is about time that we have some awesome women of color in these fantasy books.
https://twitter.com/literalporn/status/678998477909524480
https://twitter.com/iSmashFizzle/status/678712717180608512
But, of course, not everyone was excited to see Hermione played by a black woman.
https://twitter.com/TheSamGrady/status/678970048279654401
HERMIONE ISN'T BLACK pic.twitter.com/WRcR1kl5nc
— Beneficial Cucumber (@Tiaarr) December 21, 2015
@JamilSmith @AlannaBennett @jk_rowling #ReclaimHermione Stop the #WhiteGenocide pic.twitter.com/FeRknyKnNo
— PADORU ON THE LEFT (@Cetezram) December 21, 2015
#Hermione on the books and on the movies is white so why turn her to black? It's not racism it's just coherence #2batkst
— Jordina Daniel Caritg (@Jordc98) December 21, 2015
@galnerdic Granger is an old English name, it's almost inconceivable that a black woman with two black parents would have that name.
— Gary D (@GazDemorare) December 21, 2015
https://twitter.com/Justin_Bebis/status/679000796533510144
And of course people responded right back to this hate.
This whole Hermione thing is not at all about "protecting canon" but about protecting the idea of default whiteness in fiction/media.
— Kiki from Chicago (@kdc) December 21, 2015
Your outrage over Hermione being played by a black woman illustrates just how insecure you are about..
Well… Everything.— Media Diversified (@WritersofColour) December 21, 2015
Hermione's last name is Granger so she has to be white is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.
— Mikki Kendall (@Karnythia) December 21, 2015
https://twitter.com/DonNohVarr/status/678969749955457024
I mean even J.K. Rowling and Matthew Lewis, who played Neville Longbottom, supported it.
And Neville Longbottom was blonde. I really don't care. Good luck to her. https://t.co/0JNjK3Pe0V
— 🇺🇦Matthew Lewis🇺🇦 (@Mattdavelewis) December 21, 2015
Canon: brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever. White skin was never specified. Rowling loves black Hermione 😘 https://t.co/5fKX4InjTH
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 21, 2015
So what’s good haters? But don’t worry Noma’s Black girl magic isn’t stunted because of these haters. You go girl!
