Lupita Nyong’o Has No Time For Racist Talent Agent

They said her skin color would “hurt her career.”

The Oscar-winning Lupita Nyong’o is nothing short of amazing. Since her big break in 2013, she’s gone on to star in major motion pictures and even perform on Broadway, but some people doubted her abilities and expected much less of her.

 Why? Because of her skin color.

In 2015, an agent told Luptia that her success would last only “two and half” or “three years” because she’s “too black.”

”Would Beyoncé be who she is if she didn’t look like she does?” asked Tracy Christian. “Being lighter-skinned, more people can look at her image and see themselves in her.”

Fortunately, Lupita didn’t let comments of the sort get her down.

“I cannot run away from who I am and my complexion or the larger society, and how [others] may view that,” said Lupita in a recent interview with Vogue. “The European sense of beauty affects us all.”

People of color are too often criticized for the pigment of their skin. Our society seems to believe and reinforce ideals that suggest the more white someone is, the more beautiful they are. Obviously, that’s totally problematic and completely untrue! Blackness is gorgeous in every single way, and we should be doing all we can to make sure black boys and girls know that they’re seen, loved and valued as whole human beings, not stereotypes or caricatures.

“[Tracy Christian] is looking at me as part of the cultural tapestry,” she continued. “I am living and breathing.”

Instead of getting discouraged, Lupita is using her voice to speak up for Africans everywhere.

“Being able to use my platform to expand and diversify the African voice, I feel very passionate about that,” she said. “It feels intentional, meaningful.”

Way to go, Queen Lupita!