“I love all kinds of art. I mean, I love sketching and acting and music.” KindMeanArtActingAll KindsSketching Author:Amandla Stenberg
“When we're growing up and being teenagers, oftentimes you try so hard to define yourself. You try to create an image of yourself because you don't really know who you are yet. And that can be kind of limiting because you forget that there are actually so many different sides of identity. And it's important to recognize that everyone is completely different.” KnowsTryingKindImportantDifferentHardSidesForgetGrowing UpGrowingIdentityWho You AreTeenagerBe KindDefine YourselfDifferent SidesBeing A Teenager Author:Amandla Stenberg
“When you are a marginalized person or a woman of color and/or someone who's a part of the LGBTQ community, your acts become politicized, just by being yourself. Because we're not completely accepting of all different kinds of human beings. By being myself, I'm doing something political.” HumansKindPersonsDifferentPoliticalCommunityHuman BeingsAcceptingColorBeing YourselfDifferent KindsBeing MyselfMarginalized Author:Amandla Stenberg
“People experience all kinds of prejudice because of all different parts of themselves. And that doesn't make one part more important than the other. We live in a society that does not openly accept every kind of human being. And so the result is when you are yourself and someone who's marginalized, it becomes a revolutionary act - just being comfortable in your own body and being comfortable speaking, sharing your ideas. It's really amazing and also, like, kind of sad.” PeopleHumansKindDoeImportantIdeasDifferentBodyHuman BeingsResultsAcceptingComfortablePrejudiceAll KindsRevolutionaryJust BeingMarginalizedReally Amazing Author:Amandla Stenberg
“I've pretty much grown up on set, and my favorite part about it is being able to actually see how movies are made. I knew when I was about 14 that I wanted to be a director and that I wanted to go to NYU for film school. It kind of feels like it's been a long time coming.It's a relief to actually be in, because the college process is so hyped-up.” KindLongSchoolFilmCollegeMy Favorite Author:Amandla Stenberg
“I think there are two sides of the coin. On one hand, it can be challenging to access different parts of yourself, and you kind of have to put yourself back into reality when you're done with the job. But I think it's also really cool to have the ability to try on being different people and to explore some parts of yourself because you get to know yourself better. You get to know parts of yourself that you haven't met before. I think that's something that I've been learning more recently.” PeopleThinkingTryingKindDifferentDoneRealityChallengesAbilityKnow YourselfReally CoolBeing Different Author:Amandla Stenberg
“I feel like the world is dominated by such a small group of human beings. There are so many different kinds of people that aren't represented, that don't have characters who look like them. And that's one of the reasons why I intend on being a director, because I want to actually tell some of these stories. I also think that we place such intense emphasis on award shows when they're not necessarily the best reflection of how good the work is. We need to realize that art and creation are so much bigger than an award or any measure of accomplishment.” PeopleThinkingWorldKindArtDifferentReasonCharacterRealizingCreationReflectionIntenseAccomplishmentDifferent KindsBeing There Author:Amandla Stenberg
“I'm realizing that the people who criticize what I'm doing, their intentions and comments are not actually real.There's nothing happening in the real world outside of whatever they're writing on the internet. Whereas for the people who feel inspired by what I'm doing, there's something so concrete and powerful in what's happening when they feel empowered. There's actually some kind of growth or self-acceptance, some kind of self-love that's actually being triggered, hopefully. And that's real.” PeopleWorldWritingKindRealGrowthRealizingPowerfulInternetIntentionInspiredHopefullyCriticizeCommentReal WorldConcreteEmpowered Author:Amandla Stenberg
“I oftentimes receive the question, "What do you think is the most important social issue to focus on?" Or, "What's the most important component of identity? Is it gay rights or race or feminism?" And I'm like, "Well, they're all intertwined. It's all one conversation at the end of the day. You can't just pick one." I mean, people experience all kinds of prejudice because of all different parts of themselves. And that doesn't make one part more important than the other.” PeopleThinkingKindMeanImportantDifferentFocusFeminismIdentityGayPrejudiceAll KindsSocial IssuesGay RightsMean People Author:Amandla Stenberg
“My conception around being a woman in 2016 has definitely been shifting over the past year, because I feel like I'm proud of womanhood, and I feel attached to it, and at the same time I'm someone who doesn't believe in having a gender binary, and so often times I separate those two concepts in my mind - the concept of being a woman and the concept of being a girl or being female, being kind of attached to a certain gender identity.” MindBelieveKindPastGirlIdentityProudFemaleGenderBe KindWomanhoodOver The PastBinaryBeing A Girl Author:Amandla Stenberg
“The thing that makes makeup or clothing or fashion beautiful is the fact that the person wearing them loves themselves and loves being able to kind of use them as artistic tools. And so if I was to give one piece of advice, it would be to find beauty in your core first before you go out into the world and find it in other ways.” WorldGivingKindBeautifulLove IsAdviceFashionArtisticMakeupOne Piece Author:Amandla Stenberg
“I have so many mentors. I'm really lucky to be surrounded by incredible mentors, whether it be Solange Knowles or Gloria Steinem or Ava DuVernay, there are so many awesome people in my life, and so I'm lucky for them to kind of have fostered my identity as I grow into myself.” PeopleKindIdentityLuckyIncrediblesMentor Author:Amandla Stenberg
“I think that can also be the downfall at the same time in what's really difficult about being kind of in the public eye, you have so much exposure through the Internet, and you can receive a lot of comments, and you get kind of immediate gratification, but also immediate response from people that can either be negative or positive. But I'm really thankful for the internet because it's allowed me to connect with people so much more easily.” PeopleThinkingKindEyeDifficultInternetNegativeResponseBe KindCommentGratificationDownfall Author:Amandla Stenberg
“Just when you look around and you see people with straight hair in media, you kind of feel the need to fit in, so it's kind of a constant battle loving my hair. It's something that I'm continuously working on.” PeopleKindFitBattle Author:Amandla Stenberg
“I think one of the core ideas in America has always been conversation and being able to question our systems of government, and being able to dictate our own communities and how we want this country to work. And I feel like we're losing part of that because of the way that even our current political campaign is centered more around celebrity than anything else, and so we're kind of losing conversation. We're still having conversations, but they seem to be more about like Donald Trump's hair and like memes of his face more than anything else.” ThinkingKindCountryPoliticalCommunityLosingPolitical Campaign Author:Amandla Stenberg
