Beyond #BlackOutTuesday: What you can do to help

By now, your Instagram feed has probably been flooded with people posting black squares with the hashtag #blackouttuesday, but where exactly did this social media movement start?

According to the website theshowmustbepaused.com, Blackout Tuesday was created by two black women in the music industry, Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang, as a response to the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Arnaud Arbery and countless other Black citizens at the hands of police.

With the intention of disrupting the workweek on 2 June 2020, the pause is meant to create “an honest, reflective, and productive conversation about what actions we need to collectively take to support the Black community”.

Jamila and Brianna explain:

“The music industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. An industry that has profited predominantly from Black art. Our mission is to hold the industry at large, including major corporations + their partners who benefit from the efforts, struggles and successes of black people accountable. To that end it is the obligation of these entities to protect and empower at the Black communities that have made them disproportionately wealthy in ways that are measurable and transparent.”

While it may be easy to post a black square in solidarity, that isn’t the only thing you can do for #blackouttuesday. The founders state clearly that this movement isn’t just meant to be a 24-hour initiative, it’s for the long haul with a concrete plan of action to come.

Visit theshowmustbepaused.com to learn more about the concrete actions you can take to help further the cause, including funds to donate to, grassroots campaigns and anti-racism resources.

See also: #BlackLivesMatter: Celebrities taking a stand against racism