In-Depth Interview: Amandla Stenberg's Perspectives on Art and Activism

Ever since Amandla Stenberg appeared on the big screen as Rue in The Hunger Games, her rise to fame has been unstoppable. Since then, she’s appeared in multiple movies and television series and has been nominated a bunch of times for several prestigious awards.

However, Amandla’s career hasn’t been only about her stellar performances. She’s also a very strong activist and has even won some awards for her campaigning. For the Black LGBTQ actress, it’s very important to put her platform to good use instead of just basking in the fame.

“I never did not identify as a feminist, but I didn’t know where I belonged because I didn’t see myself represented,” Amandla said in an interview with Teen Vogue. Amandla identifies as an intersectional feminist, which means that she belongs to several different marginalized groups, instead of just one.

“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.” She told Equality Now. “Then I came to the realization that I can be proud of women without necessarily identifying as one. A lot of people are rejecting the binary—that’s the future of feminism.”

Aside from being an intersectional feminist, Amandla is also a strong advocate for racial justice. Being Black herself, Amandla knows firsthand the struggles that BIPOC people go through in America. She’s also very vocal against the police brutality that so many people still dismiss.

This is a topic that is deeply important for Amandla, which is why she loved her role on and off screen for the film The Hate U Give, which follows the story of a police killing. The film wasn’t only about the brutality, but also about what the world is like as a Black woman.

“When you live in a world whose structure is dependent on your invisibility, there is radical power in being given a mirror. Seeing your reflection confirms that you are real regardless of what the world has been telling you… The cycle continues, and together you're able to imagine a world where you're not just visible: you're a burst of color,” Amandla wrote on her Instagram.

“When Angie wrote The Hate U Give, she gifted us with a mirror to see Black-girl realness. Another power of Angie's mirror: when people are made visible to themselves, the rest of the world can see and understand them too.”

“Activism is the driving force behind all of my work,” Amandla told The New York Times. And it’s true. Aside from being vocal on social media and on public appearances, Amandla also chooses her projects and always tries to blend her activism with her art wherever she can.

Amandla’s future projects include playing a role in Star Wars’s Acolyte TV series, as well as Wildwood, an animated series set to come out in 2025.