Obi-Wan Kenobi actor Moses Ingram has revealed the vile racist abuse she's been receiving in her Instagram DMs.
The 29-year-old who was born in Maryland, US, said she's received 'hundreds' of racist messages after the new Star Wars series launch.
She shared screenshots via her Instagram stories on Monday (31 May) which showed some of the messages she had received, with one racist suggesting that her 'days are numbered'.
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Another wrote: "You're a diversity hire and you won't be loved or remembered for this acting role."
While someone else added: "You are not the first n**** in Star Wars fool."
Ingram, who plays Reva Sevander, a Jedi hunter, said: "Long story short, there are hundreds of those, hundreds.
"And I also see those of you out there who put on the cape for me and that really does mean the world to me.
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"Because there’s nothing anybody can do about this. There’s nothing anybody can do to stop this hate."
Not long after, Star Wars issued its support on social media, by 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.
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"If anyone intends to make her feel in any way unwelcome, we have only one thing to say: we resist."
In 2020, John Boyega publicly spoke out on being the 'only cast member whose experience of Star Wars was based on their race'.
Referencing the George Floyd murder, he told GQ: "I need you guys to understand how painful this s**t is.
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"I need you to understand how painful it is to be reminded every day that your race means nothing! That isn’t the case any more. That is never the case any more.
"We are a physical representation of our support for George Floyd. We are a physical representation of our support for Sandra Bland... for Stephen Lawrence, for Mark Duggan!"
He added: "I’m the only cast member who had their own unique experience of that franchise based on their race.
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"Let’s just leave it like that. It makes you angry with a process like that. It makes you much more militant; it changes you. Because you realise, 'I got given this opportunity but I’m in an industry that wasn’t even ready for me'.
"Nobody else in the cast had people saying they were going to boycott the movie because [they were in it]. Nobody else had the uproar and death threats sent to their Instagram DMs and social media, saying, ‘Black this and Black that and you shouldn’t be a Stormtrooper’."
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact Stop Hate UK by visiting their website www.stophateuk.org
Topics: Star Wars
Anish Vij