Celebrating Amandla Stenberg

The prolific actress, writer and activist turns 17 today!

The media often focuses on what female celebrities are wearing, who they’re dating, or how they’re dieting. At YSBnow, we want to talk to stars about what really matters. Inspiring young artists like Zendaya and Rowan Blanchard have used the power of social media to shift the narrative, have their voices heard, and create a dialogue about subjects that actually matter.

Amandla Stenberg is one of these exceptional young artists.

Her Instagram page is not filled with provocative selfies or designer handbags, but instead displays beautiful artwork and photos of powerful women like actress Viola Davis and civil rights activist Kathleen Cleaver.

She posts inspirational quotes for her fans to learn from.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BJE2aQcgpOD/

In April, Amandla and her classmate, Quinn Masterson, completed a video project entitled, “Don’t Cash Crop My Cornrows: A Crash Discourse in Black Culture.” In the informative, must-watch vid, Amandla talks race, gender, and examines cultural appropriation, schooling viewers on why it’s not okay.

Next up for Amandla is Niobe: She Is Life, a fantasy comic book she co-wrote, which will hit shelves on November 4. She also continues to work as a youth ambassador for No Kid Hungry, an organization that fights child hunger. “It can be really discouraging to see how far we still have to go and how much work still needs to be done before we can create a world where we’re all judged by how we are and not how we look,” she wrote at rookiemag.com.