Amandla Stenberg is no stranger to activism, especially when it comes to her art. And she goes hard to make sure her messages are received. For her latest role in the upcoming movie, Where Hands Touch, Amandla didn’t opt for a prosthetic hair piece, choosing instead, to shave off all of her actual hair to portray her character as authentically as possible.
The movie, which is currently in filming, depicts what life was like for biracial children living in Nazi Germany. Deadline reports that Amandla will play a biracial German teen who befriends a member of the Hitler Youth.
Throughout the past year, many people have drawn parallels between Hitler and Trump, including several Holocaust survivors and scholars, and Washington, D.C.’s Holocaust Museum condemned a recent conference of white supremacists, emboldened by this Trump era. That fact isn’t lost on Amandla. “I know 2017 looks scary,” she says. “I truly believe in the power of our words and the way we connect to each other.”
Be the one who spreads faith, not fear. Love, not hate.