On June 2, 2020, social feeds were turned into an online protest / acknowledgement / demand for change in an action called #blackouttuesday and I didn’t post. Why didn’t I?
I distinctly remember the events leading up to that date. On May 25, 46 year old George Floyd, and African-American man, was killed while handcuffed by a policeman with his knee on George’s neck … for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. The footage was horrifying. Gut wrenching. Incredible. Shameful. He couldn’t breathe. He repeatedly said that to the officers. So did onlookers.
He couldn’t breathe.
The result was a seemingly involuntary spasm of violence and protest, an un-bottling of pent up rage against systemic racism. I’m not justifying the violence, the looting and the destruction of property that happened. There are so many more eloquent and knowledgable writers who have discussed this at length.
What I wanted to finally write about was why I ended up making the conscious decision not to participate in #blackouttuesday on any of my social media channels, and how it has bothered me ever since June 2.
What was #blackouttuesday? From a post on the Today Show website, it was initially created by two black women music executives, Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang, as a day to stop and reflect with the hashtag #TheShowMustBePaused. “In response to the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless other Black citizens at the hands of the police, #TheShowMustBePaused is an initiative created … in observance of the long-standing racism and inequality that exists from the boardroom to the boulevard,” a statement from Thomas and Agyemang on the movement’s website explains. “We will not continue to conduct business as usual without regard for Black lives.” This morphed into a general movement outside the music industry to pause, reflect, educate on anti-racism resources, and consider donating to relevant causes. It took off, and I didn’t join in. Why?
I’ve thought a lot about this since June 2. I believe I did not post simply because so many were posting. It is a stupid reason but this post is about honesty, not perfection. I overthought the action of posting the black screen image and not the reason behind the action. I thought that my participation on that day would not really amplify anything, it would be drowned out by all the other signals from others. Of course by the next day I thought that was a pretty dumb idea. If anything good has come of me not posting then, perhaps it is this post now. Certainly not to make up for it, but to acknowledge the moment, the movement, and my analysis of my reasoning for not posting on June 2.
And to acknowledge the systemic racism and often subtle ways this is experienced by so many of my friends, family, and employees, ways that I will never experience or fully understand.
Some links to consider:
103 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice
Anti-Racism Resource List
13 Documentary (Netflix)
Black Lives Matter
