Star Wars Calls Out Racist Attacks Against Obi-Wan Kenobi Star Moses Ingram

Leia IdlibyMay 31st, 2022, 1:37 pm
 

The Star Wars franchises responded to the racist attacks Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Moses Ingram has been receiving since starring in the series.

Star Wars made the statement through the franchise’s official Twitter account, writing, “There are more than 20 million sentient species in the Star Wars galaxy, don’t choose to be a racist.”

“We are proud to welcome Moses Ingram to the Star Wars family and excited for Reva’s story to unfold,” read the statement. “If anyone intends to make her feel in any way unwelcome, we have only one thing to say: we resist.”

Ingram appeared in the franchise as villain Inquisitor Reva Sevander, who is hunting Obi-Wan Kenobi for Darth Vader during the new Disney+ series.

In a recent Instagram Story, Ingram shared that she has received “hundreds” of racist messages since her Star Wars debut on May 27.

“There’s nothing anybody can do about this. There’s nothing anybody can do to stop this hate,” said Ingram in a video posted to her Instagram Story. “I question my purposes in even being here in front of you saying that this is happening. I don’t really know.”

According to Variety, messages Ingram received included the use of the N-word and claims that she was only included in the series as a “diversity hire.”

This is not the first time a Star Wars actor has faced racism from fans after joining the franchise, which Ingram referenced in an interview with The Independent. 

“It was something that Lucasfilm actually got in front of, and said, ‘This is a thing that, unfortunately, likely will happen. But we are here to help you; you can let us know when it happens,’” she said, later adding, “Obi-Wan is going to bring the most diversity I think we’ve ever seen in the galaxy before. To me, it’s long overdue. If you’ve got talking droids and aliens, but no people of color, it doesn’t make any sense.”

Both John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran have spoken out against the racism they endured following their Star Wars debuts, with Tran telling the Hollywood Reporter that the attacks got so bad she had to go to therapy.

While Star Wars defended Ingram, both Boyega and Thandiwe Newton have faulted Disney and the franchise for their treatment of diverse characters.

“You get yourself involved in projects and you’re not necessarily going to like everything,” Boyega said of his Star Wars experience in a 2020 interview with British GQ.

“What I would say to Disney is do not bring out a Black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are, and then have them pushed to the side. It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up.”

Newtown specifically hit at the franchise for killing off her character in 2018’s Solo.

“You don’t kill off the first Black woman to ever have a real role in a Star Wars movie,” Newton told Inverse. “Like, are you fucking joking?”

Watch the Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer above, via YouTube.

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