During Star Wars Celebration this past weekend, The Nerds of Color got to chat with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy about bringing more creatives of color into the Star Wars Universe, while also protecting newcomers like Moses Ingram coming into the fandom. Kennedy knows they can’t change social media, but they can change how they react to it.
“One of the things that we do now,” Kennedy told The Nerds of Color. “We have an onboarding process which is we’re not going to change social media but what we can do is certainly have the back of every single person that we work with [and] make sure they’re aware of what could happen and things that might be said.”
Moses Ingram, who plays Inquisitor “Third Sister” Reva in the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series, had begun to receive racist remarks to her social accounts prior the premiere of the series. These have since increased since the show’s release. Still, the brilliant actress doesn’t let that affect her because she knows how much Reva will mean to many kids out there looking for their place in the Star Wars Universe.
“I know it’s going to mean a lot to a lot people,” Ingram told The Nerds of Color. “I think when we turn on the TV at the end of the day, we really just want a world that reflects the one that we’re in. Yeah, it’s fiction, but it matters. It matters, particularly to the kids that are watching it and going to grow up and find their place. It matters.”
The official Star Wars social media accounts have posted their support for Ingram — telling racist Star Wars fans that they’re not welcomed in this fandom.
Kennedy’s priority has been on the safety of those in the company. “The most important thing is for them to feel safe [and] for them to feel that we are going to step up if there is ever an issue,” she said to me. “And we do.”
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