Don’t use the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter, but instead use #blackouttuesday

Today it is Blackout Tuesday, a day dedicated to observe, spread awareness, and bring about policy changes in the deaths of George Floyd and countless other African-Americans at the hands of police brutality. This movement has spread on social media, where organizations and individuals are posting solemn messages featuring a black background and tagging the post with #BlackLivesMatter.

Yet here is the problem. While these posts are intended to help spread awareness, several activists and influencers have pointed out that posting with the caption #BlackLivesMatter can instead clog up the critical information and updates under the same hashtag.

Mental health advocate and Black Lives Matter activist Kenidra Woods posted on Twitter that “We know that it is no intent to harm but to be frank, this essentially does harm the message. We use the hashtag to keep people updated so please stop using the hashtag for black background images.”

When you click on the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag, it is no longer videos, helpful information, and documentations of the injustice, but rather a row of black screens.

Instead, supporters of Blackout Tuesday are encouraging participants to use the hashtags #TheShowMustBePaused or #blackouttuesday to prevent this from happening.

The injustice people such as George Floyd and countless other African-Amercians faced should not go unnoticed. Now is the time for each of us to unite and take action against this issue. One way you can take action is by posting #blackouttuesday or #TheShowMustBePaused on social media to help spread awareness. Your action will not go unnoticed and will help stop this issue because it’s been happening far too long.

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