We are meant to express our joy, and our love, and our tears, and be big and bold and definitely not easy to swallow. Amandla Stenberg More Quotes by Amandla Stenberg More Quotes From Amandla Stenberg Yes, there's something dangerous about turning people into token social activists. I was thinking about this recently with our pop-culture feminism, when feminism is such a buzzword in the media now. We're covering it in a way that we haven't before, but also in a way that's way more surface level. And while I think that there's some danger in that, I also think it's a great gateway for some people. Amandla Stenberg feminismpeoplethinking I actually try not to go on my phone too much. That's something that's been a huge self-care move for me. I got rid of my iPhone, and so I'm actively working toward trying to be more present and not feeling uncomfortable when I don't have it as a coping mechanism. Amandla Stenberg feelingstryingmoving I don't really see myself that way, as some typical sexy young ingénue. I've never been that way. And, for a while, there was a disconnect between who I am and how I present myself on a public platform. That was because I didn't necessarily feel comfortable sharing that much of myself with other people who I didn't know. Amandla Stenberg sexypeople I'm realizing that the people who criticize what I'm doing, their intentions and comments are not actually real.There's nothing happening in the real world outside of whatever they're writing on the internet. Whereas for the people who feel inspired by what I'm doing, there's something so concrete and powerful in what's happening when they feel empowered. There's actually some kind of growth or self-acceptance, some kind of self-love that's actually being triggered, hopefully. And that's real. Amandla Stenberg powerfulrealwriting I think there's this great disconnect between youth culture and politics, which is a product of how our capitalist system works. I mean, a lot of the kids I know are really politically involved. They really care about politics. I think we're going to have an incredible impact on how politics end up shaking this country. Amandla Stenberg meancountrykids I hope one day it's not revolutionary just to be yourself, but I think that the work that's being done around identity and personhood is so important.I feel inspired by people around me who are part of this movement as well: Hari Nef and Rowan Blanchard and Willow Smith and these kids who are really not going to listen to anyone. "I'm just going to say whatever I feel. I'm going to be myself. And if you don't like it, then, you can go screw yourself." Amandla Stenberg being-yourselfkidsthinking I think that can also be the downfall at the same time in what's really difficult about being kind of in the public eye, you have so much exposure through the Internet, and you can receive a lot of comments, and you get kind of immediate gratification, but also immediate response from people that can either be negative or positive. But I'm really thankful for the internet because it's allowed me to connect with people so much more easily. Amandla Stenberg eyepeoplethinking The state of the world terrifies me. It feels more powerful personally to fight it through larger actions as opposed to trying to fight the Trump administration itself. It's sort of self-preservation for my mental health. If I spend too much of my energy and my brain on Trump, I'd lose my mind. Amandla Stenberg powerfulfightingmind It's hard to find black roles that are just whimsical and fun and colorful. And I think, in many ways, that can be just as powerful in making commentary about race through movies. Amandla Stenberg powerfulfunthinking Growing up, I didn't receive the representation that I wanted so badly. I was always looking out for black characters - black women - that were specifically just about existing and weren't necessarily racialized or were centered around race. Amandla Stenberg growing-upblackcharacter I love all kinds of art. I mean, I love sketching and acting and music. Amandla Stenberg actingmeanart Just when you look around and you see people with straight hair in media, you kind of feel the need to fit in, so it's kind of a constant battle loving my hair. It's something that I'm continuously working on. Amandla Stenberg battlekindpeople I think one of the core ideas in America has always been conversation and being able to question our systems of government, and being able to dictate our own communities and how we want this country to work. And I feel like we're losing part of that because of the way that even our current political campaign is centered more around celebrity than anything else, and so we're kind of losing conversation. We're still having conversations, but they seem to be more about like Donald Trump's hair and like memes of his face more than anything else. Amandla Stenberg communitycountrythinking It’s a really, really hard thing to be silenced. And it’s deeply bruising to fight against your identity and to mold yourself into shapes that you just should n’t be in, as someone who identifies as a black, bisexual woman, I’ve been through it, and it’s hurts. It’s awkward and it’s uncomfortable. But then I realized because of Solange [ Knowles ], and Ava DuVerney, and Willow [ Smith ], and all the black girls watching this right now, that there’s absolutely nothing to change. Amandla Stenberg entertainment As I started to explore my gender identity, I didn't know how I could claim the title of 'feminist' without subscribing to the gender binary. I thought I had to be a proud woman to be a feminist. Then I came to the realization that I can be proud of women without necessarily identifying as one. Amandla Stenberg womangenderwomenidentity Everyone experiences different parts of themselves at different times, these different parts of themselves that come out in different settings. Amandla Stenberg everyoneoutcomedifferent I come from a very musical family. My dad taught me to play guitar. I play violin and drums as well. Violin, I started in elementary school. Drums actually came when I was in a program called 'Rock Star,' which was really awesome. We were doing a song by the Ramones, so I thought, 'Why not play the drums?' Amandla Stenberg meguitarfamilysong Growing up, I was always super into fantasy and 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'Game of Thrones' and all of that, but I could never find black characters whom I really liked. Amandla Stenberg nevergamefantasyblack I think something that's really important to me is trying to do what I can from my position of power that comes with having a social media platform to dismantle certain systems that I think are really gross and harmful. Amandla Stenberg thinkmesocial-mediapower 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. Amandla Stenberg someonefakei-canheart
