Anna Diop

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This Is Why There Are No Dark-Skinned Ingenues

Ezinne Ukoha

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Seneglaese actress Anna Diop has become the latest victim of online furor that’s inspired by her latest casting as Koriand’r/Starfire in the upcoming live action TV series from the DC Universe— Titans. Things got so heated that she was forced to disable the comments on her Instagram account, after it was swiftly ravaged by racist trolls — who couldn’t control their rage at the notion of their favorite character being portrayed by a dark-skinned Black woman.

This longstanding tradition of social media platforms being transformed into missiles of hate geared towards ethnic actors — who’ve been cast in ambitious projects is thriving with venomous vigor, as the hostile climate sets the tone for such disgustingly vile activities.

The rules of engagement give haters the power to “cancel” those who qualify, and the percentage who’ve done nothing to deserve the injustice of being verbally abused by the maddening crowd of naysayers.

When John Boyega was cast as a Stormtrooper in the globally-revered Star Wars franchise that unleashed the first installment of the sequel trilogy — 2015’s The Force Awaken — the highly-anticipated trailer was greeted with anger and disbelief from hardcore fans who were grossed out at the sight of a Black man — commanding the force — in a galaxy far, far away.

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