Amandla Stenberg is a Rat Queen in the making, a Rat Princess if you will. She may not know it and may not realize what a compliment it is, but it’s true. She speaks her mind, speaks truth to stupid and speaks up for those who can’t or don’t have the platform to. If you’ve been living under a rock for the last year then let me enlighten you a bit. Her video Don’t Cash Crop My Cornrows is a vivid lesson in cultural appropriation, which you should watch if you haven’t yet.

She’s also been a very vocal feminist. Using social media forums to say her piece on feminism, women in STEM and intersectionality, she has become a promising new voice of her generation. She is intelligent, well spoken and quite obviously someone who thinks deeply on matters many others just skim over. The fact that at her age she is so eloquent and willing to use her fame as a platform for these conversations is beyond admirable, it is downright amazing.

Now she is embarking on a new endeavor to explore Black feminine power and the complications of being mixed race in a comic book entitled, Niobe: She is Life.

…Stenberg is using her talent to create an exciting new comic centered around the experiences of a young black warrior woman named Niobe Ayutami. The comic, titled “NIOBE: She is Life,” follows the protagonist on her adventures to help save the world. Along the way, Niobe, who is half elf and half human warrior, is also on a journey of self-discovery to find out exactly who she is and all the powerful things she can do. In fact, Stenberg says Niobe’s journey is very similar to her own. “I was drawn to give voice to Niobe and co-write her story because her journey is my journey. I connect to her mixed racial background and quest to discover her innate powers and strengths, to learn who she truly is,” via The Huffington Post

The comic will be co-written by Stranger Comics founder, Sebastian A. Jones and illustrated by artist, Ashley L. Woods. Published by Stranger Comics, it will be released November 4th.