They mad: Lupita cast as Helen of Troy · Deconstructing with Aleeza

They mad: Lupita cast as Helen of Troy

Lupito Nyong’o broke her silence on the racist backlash surrounding her casting as Helen of Troy in “The Odyssey," a woman who is said in the myth to be the most beautiful woman in the world. Nyong'o said she wasn’t letting the backlash affect her or her experience and dismissed concerns that a Black woman couldn’t play the role.

“The criticism will exist whether I engage with it or not.”

This isn't new:

Ariel can't be Black

I couldn't grieve Rue's death in the Hunger Games because she was Black.

Hermione can't be Black.

Captain America can't be Black.

You can't cosplay (insert Japanese Anime charecter) because you're Black. (Despite most anime characters looking white, they are usually Asian, unless defined otherwise.)

I could go on but I think you get it?

Btw Lupita is:

Racially: Black (racialized/social category)

Ethnically: Kenyan (ethnic/cultural heritage tied to Kenya, specifically Luo heritage)

Nationally: Mexican (citizenship/national identity through birth in Mexico)

So...

Nationality/Citizenship:

Kenyan and Mexican (she was born in Mexico to Kenyan parents and has dual Kenyan–Mexican citizenship)

Ethnicity:

Luo (more specific ethnic group within Kenya)

Race ≠ Ethnicity ≠ Nationality

Someone can be racially Black, ethnically Luo/Kenyan, and nationally Mexican at the same time.