Moses Ingram, who shined in a leading role in one of the all-time blockbuster movie franchises, Star Wars, has been on the receiving end of racist attacks and threats against her life.
What is supposed to be one of the most joyous times of Ingram’s life in a career-defining gig is turning into a nightmare right after the latest installment of the Star Wars series, Obi-Wan Kenobi, debuted in theaters on Friday, May 27, 2022.
The 29-year-old Baltimore native and Yale Drama graduate showed a sampling of the racist harassment she’s been receiving since Friday.
“You’re [sic] days are numbered,” one person wrote.
Another opined, “You’re a diversity hire and you won’t be loved or remembered for this acting role.”
Ingram shared a Twitter video reflecting on the racist comments she’s been receiving from Star Wars fans. Ingram said she’s received “hundreds” of hateful messages.
“Long story short, there are hundreds of those, hundreds. I also see those of you out there who put on a cape for me and that really does mean the world to me because there’s nothing anybody can do about this. There’s nothing anybody can do to stop this hate,” she said.
“The thing that bothers me is this feeling that I’ve had inside of myself — which no one has told me — but this feeling that I’ve just got to shut up and take it. That I’ve just kind of got to bear it. I’m not built like that,” she said.
Fans are trying to form a protective circle around Ingram while simultaneously blasting Star Wars executives and the studio for their shamefully tepid stance against the racist threats.
Moses Ingram posted an instagram story about the racist comments she’s been receiving from Star Wars fans pic.twitter.com/NUe7aB0UQo
— sleemo (@sleemo) May 31, 2022
After the hateful messages went viral and Moses spoke out on the matter, Star Wars’ Twitter account released a message in support of Moses Ingram and denouncing the racist remarks about her.
Actor John Boyega received similar racist comments during his short tenure in the Star Wars franchise. Before bolting the Pacific Rim: Uprising in 2020 he also clued fans in on the barrage of hateful comments that were coming to his social media accounts.
At one point, he said on Twitter that the “Toxic Star Wars fans still find their way to my mentions. Lord. Must I be blunt? I don’t f— with you no more.”
Fans also noted that Star Wars decided to edit him out of the promotional material disseminated in China in 202o.
