I Participated in BlackOUt Tuesday and here’s what I noticed

Last updated on July 5th, 2024 at 12:56 pm

I thought it was best to participate in Blackout Tuesday on 6/2/2020. I did it via Instagram. I have currently paused my in feed posts because I feel it’s right. I don’t think I should be posting about free samples or other things people may find petty during this turbulent time.

That being shared let me say that I am not black nor have I ever been discriminated against or profiled do to the color of my skin. However, I am the child and grandchild of Mexican immigrants so I understand why people are outraged by the racial injustice that is sweeping the U.S. I don’t like to get political or voice my opinion all the time but today I felt it was something I needed to do.

my thoughts on the situation

I think we can all agree that what happened to Mr. Floyd should never happen to anyone. No matter what race you are you should never die in such a manner at the hands of any type of enforcement official.

Yet I can’t go on an I hate cops tangent because I don’t hate them. I’ve personally known people in the profession of law enforcement and understand it’s a very hard job. Anyone who’s ever worked with the public knows how difficult it can be. Does this make what happened right? NO it doesn’t I’m just sharing my opinion.

Yes, there needs to be a reform among law enforcement when it comes to dealing with situations like these. No one should be profiled just by the color of their skin or if they seem to be acting suspiciously. No one should be worried to walk down a street at a certain hour or be in a certain neighborhood.

Let’s get back to blackout Tuesday

So as I mentioned I participated in Blackout Tuesday yesterday. Well, I noticed a few things that I found annoying.

I saw people upset because large bands were choosing to participate in the movement. I saw various comments from people grumbling because brands were using their platform to voice their support for the day.

People were upset because the wrong hashtags were used. Some brands and even general accounts were using #Blacklivesmatter along with #BlackoutTuesday and it was somehow confusing the Instagram algorithm. I saw countless angry posts from followers of brands demanding they change hashtags.

Okay, I’m going to put it plainly no one wins in this situation. People would have bitched and moaned if the brands didn’t take a stand. Yet they still bitched and moaned anyway for other petty reasons.

To those people who complained I’d like to suggest you use your voice and decide to not purchase the brand anymore. If the brands response to social issues annoyed you that much vote with your wallet.

Personally I was glad that brands decided to stand together for the day. I don’t recall seeing this very often but I might be wrong.

Another thing I saw earlier today was a company actually publicly apologized for not taking part in the Blackout Tuesday. Granted everyone was able to take part or opt-out but this company shared a long apology via Instagram.

Other things I noticed

While i was using other social media platforms I saw a few posts from people who want this to be a political war as well.

I admit I am not a fan of the man running the country but the last time I checked hate and racism transcend political parties. I also think that being in the 21st century we can all grow the fuck up and not name call.

We can’t say this is all fully a Democrat or Republican problem. It’s everyone’s problem. Racism and hate towards happening right now. There are probably people who don’t vote out there who are still racists.

Final thoughts

I think it’s great if you took the time to protest (peacefully) or donated to a cause or signed a petition or even educated yourself more on the current event. That’s a step in the right direction. We can help change the world.

I signed a few petitions and shared resources via my Instagram stories. We can all help change things. Racism and police brutality needs to end.

resources that might interest you

I thought I’d add a few links that might interest you

THE MOVEMENT FOR BLACK LIVES

@National Resources List

https://linktr.ee/Nationalresourceslist

NPR has a podcast that may interest someone

https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/