Is Amandla Stenberg South African? Meaning of Her Name and How She Came to Be Called Amandla

Amandla Stenberg is not South African; she was born in Los Angeles, California, on October 23, 1998. Her heritage includes African-American roots from her mother, Karen Brailsford, and Danish ancestry from her father, Tom Stenberg, who also has Inuit-Greenlandic ancestry through his maternal line.

The name “Amandla” is derived from the Zulu and Xhosa languages, meaning “power” or “strength.” This name reflects a significant cultural heritage and is emblematic of Stenberg’s advocacy for empowerment and social justice, particularly in her activism related to race and gender issues.

Amandla’s acting career began in 2011 when she appeared in her first feature film, Colombiana, playing a younger version of Zoe Saldana’s character.

In 2013, Amandla appeared in the short film Mercy, playing the daughter of Robin Thicke and Paula Patton, and had a recurring role in the supernatural series Sleepy Hollow.

During this time, she also began exploring music, performing on the violin and singing harmonies at Los Angeles venues. Amandla’s interest in music led her to form the folk-rock duo Honeywater in 2015. That same year, she released a video titled “Don’t Cash Crop My Cornrows,” which addressed cultural appropriation.

In 2016, Amandla appeared in Beyoncé’s visual album Lemonade and won the BET YoungStars Award. She also signed with The Society, a modeling agency.

In 2021, Amandla was cast in the main role for the Star Wars series The Acolyte, marking another significant step in her career. She was also included in Time’s list of Most Influential Teens in 2015 and 2016 and Oprah Winfrey’s SuperSoul 100 list in 2016.