#BLACKLIVESMATTER – This Is How Companies Are Lending their Voices
‘I can’t breathe’, the first time this infamous statement went viral was minutes before the death of Eric Garner who was killed by some men of the NYPD. Eric Garner was one of the many victims of police brutality and racial profiling.
A week ago, in a similar manner, George Floyd, another black man repeated the same words as he struggled for his life while his neck was pinned down by a white police officer, Derek Chauvin. The video lasted about 9minutes and we all watched George Floyd take his last breath- just like many others who are victims of a decayed system.
The repetition of the same issue over and over again resulted into a concerted outcry for justice. Protesters have flooded many cities in the United States demanding for change. People are decrying the many wrongful deaths of black men and women in the hands of police officers as well as some white Americans- many of whom never get punished for the pain they’ve inflicted.
The systemic racism in the American system has come to fore and it seems it can no longer be swept under the rug. Protests are taking place globally .
Trump’s Rhetoric
The protests has degenerated to looting in certain places.
However,many people are displeased by how the President has handled the situation especially after tweeting the infamous statement that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” and also referring to some protesters as thugs. The President has come under a lot of backlash for inciting “violence”
Twitter and Facebook As Big Brother
The role of these two social media giants have come under a lot of scrutiny with regards to how much responsibility is expected especially with respect to certain language use by persons of great influence such as President Trump.
It is no longer news that the President of the United States enjoys using social media in dispelling information put out by the mainstream media , otherwise dubbed “fake news” by the President. It has also been this go-to tool used in staying in touch with his fanbase.
Twitter flagged two tweets from Trump that were alleged to incite violence and thereby against the policy of the platform. Facebook on the other hand has left the same post up on its platform- a move that has drawn a lot of internal and external criticism towards Mark Zuckerberg.
Tik-Tok also came under a lot of fire for stifling the voices of people speaking out against the racial injustice by freezing the #blacklivesmatter hashtag. Tik-Tok has since apologized and clarified it was unintended and that many other hashtags were affected.
Present Situation
Protests in the US has lasted for eight days with more cities joining in everyday. The protests have degenerated to looting in many places.
Way Forward- Companies Are Joining the Fight
Companies are stepping forward and lending their voices to a cause that many agree is not just honorable but at the core of our existence as humans.
Yesterday was #blackouttuesday on social media. People were enjoined to put up black square picture on their social media profiles, newsfeeds etc decrying events of the recent days and the treatment of black people in the United States. The hashtag generated about 30million posts on Instagram alone.
Twitter has changed the profile picture on their official page to a blackbird in honour of the recent protests.
Spotify created a silent playlist that lasted for 8mins46seconds in honour of George Floyd. Nickeledeon also went off air for 8:46 minutes , also symbolic for how long George Floyd fought for his life.
Nike changed its famous slogan “Just do it” in a new advert to “ Don’t do it”. The message in the advert is largely to encourage people to be part of the change. In an unprecedented move, Adidas retweeted Nike’s video with a comment that “Together is how we move forward. Together is how we make change.”
Facebook is donating the sum of $10million dollars to anti-racism groups.
Google added a message of support to its US home page alongside a black ribbon on its US home page. Chief executive Sundar Pichai tweeted a photo of Google’s revamped look alongside the words: “We stand in support of racial equality and all those who search for it.”
NetFlix tweeted through its official twitter account that “To be silent is to be complicit, Black lives matter. We have a platform, and we have a duty to our Black members, employees, creators and talent to speak up.”
Bank of America has pledged the sum of $1billion to fight racial inequality.
Tim Cook announced that Apple will be making donations to groups focused on racial injustice while condemning discrimination and inequality in America.
While it is consoling to see the world standing up and speaking with one voice, it will be more rewarding if policies are put in place to address the basis of these issues.
