Disney is defending the host of a new web series “Star Wars” amid a reaction to tweets that some consider racist towards whites.
Krystina Arielle announced this month that she will be presenting “The High Republic Show”, a web series that offers news and insights about the latest multimedia sub-series from the hugely popular sci-fi franchise.
However, shortly after announcing Arielle as the host of the new bimonthly program, some rummaged through their previous tweets and found several who spoke in rather harsh terms about the role of whites in dismantling racism.
The reaction was so strong that it prompted the official Twitter account of “Star Wars” to issue a statement defending the host and denouncing “intimidation and racism”.
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“Our Star Wars community is a community of hope and inclusion. We don’t advocate intimidation and racism. We support @KrystinaArielle,” tweet reads.
Hours later, Arielle accessed Twitter to share some of the virulent and racist responses she was receiving due to the old tweets. Screencaps of comments, tweets, emails and more show people saying that she was only hired by the Disney-owned franchise because of the color of her skin, sending monkey emojis and urging people to harass her further for her opinions about race in America.
“You deserve all the hate you’re getting,” says a chilling post.
Airelle, however, seems to be taking it easy. She captioned the images with a tweet read, “We in the last 24 hours were not … the best.”
She then shared the poem “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou.
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‘The High Republic Show’ host Krystina Arielle was defended by ‘Star Wars’ after facing racist comments.
(Albert L. Ortega / Getty Images)
Like many, Arielle spoke openly about the racial issue during the summer, as the nation faced protests over George Floyd’s death at the hands of the police in May. Several tweets she shared over the summer call whites for what she believes to be performing acts of solidarity.
“Just a reminder that White Women are also complicit in the defense and application of White Supremacy”, she wrote about an Axios article about Kayleigh McEnany defending the use of the term “Kung flu” to describe the coronavirus.
“You don’t have to comment on every post on racism you are trying to improve. ‘ Read x, y, z. ‘Any combination of ugh whites, when you’re white. I do not care. Talking is easy. I’m not here for your responsibility exams, ” she wrote in a separate tweet in June.
In October, shortly after the presidential debate, she regretted seeing two white candidates discussing racism.
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“Watching two white men discussing racism that they will never experience, will never please me. she wrote.
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She continued in a follow-up tweet: “White men: this is not the subject for you to try to speak with authority in my comments. I said what I said.”