Moses Ingram, ‘Star Wars’ stand up to racist backlash over ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ casting
The ‘Star Wars’ franchise is standing behind one of its new stars after she revealed the racist messages she has received since appearing in the new Disney+ TV series “Obi-Wan Kenobi.”
Less than a week after the first episode aired, Moses Ingram — who stars as Inquisitor Reva in the new series — shared on her Instagram Story a snippet of the hateful messages she has received since then. Among them, fans called her a “token diversity hire” and sent slurs, crude remarks and threats.
“Long story short, there are hundreds of those,” she said. “I also see those of you who have put on a cape for me, because that means the world to me.
“There’s nothing anybody can do to stop this hate,” she continued. “I question what my purpose even is in being here in front of you saying this is happening. I think the thing that bothers me is this feeling I’ve had inside of myself that I’ve just got to shut up and take it. I’m not built like that.”
We look back at the Star Wars history of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, originated by Alec Guinness and played in ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ by Ewan McGregor.
Ingram went on to thank her fans and supporters who have shown love, expressing gratitude for their eagerness to defend her when she didn’t have the energy to do so herself. The official “Star Wars” account also stood behind her on Twitter, with a simple message to any who would wish her harm: “we resist.”
“We are proud to welcome Moses Ingram to the Star Wars family and excited for Reva’s story to unfold,” the account wrote. “If anyone intends to make her feel in any way unwelcome, we have only one thing to say: we resist.”
“There are more than 20 million sentient species in the Star Wars galaxy, don’t choose to be a racist,” the account added.
Not only did Lucasfilm, the production company behind “Star Wars,” come to her defense, but Ingram previously revealed it warned her of the hateful flood she would likely receive after other trailblazing stars, such as Kelly Marie Tran and John Boyega, suffered similar online abuse.
“I’m the only cast member who had their own unique experience of that franchise based on their race,” John Boyega told British GQ of his “Star Wars” role.
Still, as she told the Independent, Ingram was ecstatic to be a part of the series and hopeful for what the show’s casting could mean.
“‘Obi-Wan’ is going to bring the most diversity I think we’ve ever seen in the galaxy before,” Ingram added. “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. It’s 2022, you know. So we’re just at the beginning of that change. But I think to start that change is better than never having started it.”
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