These Star Wars projects have caused havoc within the iconic franchise’s fanbase and with each new addition, the racists have come out to play. While Black faces aren’t new to Star Wars or its subsequent series that have unfolded in the decades since its inception, its global fanbase has struggled to accept new characters, especially those of Color. John Boyega spoke at length about his experience, often using his social media platforms to go at it with Star Wars fans who took issue with his casting.
More recently, actress Moses Ingram, star of Disney’s new Obi-Wan Kenobi series, detailed the ongoing hate and racist messages she continues to receive. “Long story short, there are hundreds of those. Hundreds,” she said while showing off the hateful messages.
“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, you know, there’s nothing anybody can do about this,” Ingram added. “There’s nothing anybody can do to stop this hate. And so I question my purposes even being here in front of you saying that this is happening.”
In response, the Star Wars brand took to its official Twitter account to stand by Ingram during this time. “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,” it wrote along with a photo of Ingram.
“There are more than 20 million sentient species in the Star Wars galaxy, don’t choose to be a racist.” However, some were quick to note that when Boyega complained of his experience, he didn’t receive the same response from the franchise, at least not publicly. Check it out below.