‘The Acolyte’ actor releases song in response to backlash from Star Wars fans

The Acolyte Star Amandla Stenberg has released a song in response to a racist backlash against the war of stars Prequel show.

The show takes place 100 years before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menaceand the first four episodes are now streaming on Disney+.

It was created by Russian doll‘s Leslye Headland and Sterne Stenberg (The hate you give, body body body) in the two main roles Osha and Mae. The two characters are raised by a coven of witches led by Jodie Turner-Smith and are separated by a tragedy. Osha is trained as a Jedi before falling into the faith, while Mae turns to the dark side.

The show was well received by critics, including NMEBut Stenberg said she had been “inundated” with “unbearable racism” from some viewers since the show’s release and had taken it upon herself to write a song addressing the controversy.

On Wednesday (June 19), she wrote on Instagram: “Happy Juneteenth 🖤 and to those who bombard me with unbearable racism – since it took me 72 hours on my laptop to make this song and video, you have 72 hours to respond. And I expect choreography!!”

Part of the backlash Stenberg addressed relates to a 2018 clip that recently went viral in which the actress says that “white people crying were actually the target” of the film, referring to The hate you give. However, the clip was presented out of context as if it referred to The Acolyte.

In her song, Stenberg sings: “I’m going viral on Twitter again / opening the news to find interesting things / 20 million views / 2018 interview / with Trevor the King when I was a teenager“.

“I ran from town to town to talk about a story / You know the one: police murder a black boy / My people cried in the theaters to find redemption / White people cried because they could see us as human beings,” she continues.

“Trevor asks what I want to say to people / I say the goal was to make white people cry / If they could take one thing away, what would it be? / I say empathy / Ooooo, that’s why they mad at me? / They put lines together and create hate that they recognize / make it look like the same propaganda that they spew / because they mistake our pain for violence / and try to weaponize everything we do / the oppressors’ desperation is growing / and now they’re holding onto anything they can use / When you rely on misinformation / that tells me you’re afraid of the truth.”

After a chorus of “We are so bored, don’t mess up your discourse”, Stenberg continues: “My sister said don’t let this discourage you / but I’m sick of bottling up my anger / having to put up with their bullshit for 400 years / isolating myself like my ancestors had to / if you don’t face the pain you live with / it will manifest as addiction and hate / I’ve seen the infection that oppression can cause / I won’t be the next one sent to an early grave.”

In a four-star review of the show, NME wrote: “As with everything in Star Wars, balance is everything – but it feels like Headland has managed to walk a finer line than most with The Acolyte. It’s new without feeling disjointed. Flawless, but not too shiny. Fun, but still substantial. It feels like a place to grow from, but also a story worth reading in its own right.”

New episodes are released weekly, with four more planned. The premiere of the final episode is scheduled for July 16.

Many viewers of the show were shocked when a well-known actor died in the first few minutes of the show.