The world is in revolt against police brutality and the devaluation of the black skin. To show resistance against the status quo, millions around the world have participated in what has come to be known on social media as ‘Blackout Tuesday’.
What is Blackout Tuesday?
More than a week after George Floyd was killed in full view of the world, the United States (US) has been up in flames. Riots, looting and confrontations with police have been a fixture in the media.
We have seen this many times before since Floyd is just another statistic added to the long list of unarmed black people who lost their lives to police brutality.
However, this time around, the outrage has been devastating, to say the least. There is an air of tension and President Donald Trump has not made things any better with his recent reaction to the protests.
To shed more light towards the crux of the protests, many have joined the Blackout Tuesday movement. This was first coined by music labels who vowed to stay away from all business activity on Tuesday 2 June as a commemoration to the life of Floyd and other victims of racially driven police brutality.
Those in support of this movement have been posting black canvases on their Instagram pages, using the #blackouttuesday hashtag.
Why you shouldn’t use the BLM hashtag in posts
However, there are some who did not get the memo and while their participation is surely appreciated, it has not been executed the right way.
There is a difference between the ‘Blackout Tuesday’ movement and Black Lives Matter. The former is a commemorative stance while the latter is a hashtag that holds information and resources black people affected by racial discrimination can use to protect themselves.
So, if you plan on posting the black canvas in support of ‘Blackout Tuesday’, please do not use the BLM hashtag in your post. This is what happens when you do: