#BlackoutTuesday Is Over. The Work Needs To Continue.

Photo Credit: Adrees Latif/Reuters

Yesterday, I was happy to see the unity of many who had participated in #BlackoutTuesday. Many people came together to share information on where to donate to causes. Things such as Black literature, names of black-owned businesses, and the works of Black creatives were also amongst other things distributed. Non-Black people were listening and took an invested interest in how to use their platforms and to better educate others. A lot of people had their hearts in the right place.

Because we live in the ever-quick moving world that we live in - I also hoped that this was not for social media means. Everybody should remember the whole Fyre Festival fiasco. Many influencers and models posted a single orange tile. From a marketing sense, people have to stop and look. Well…we all know how that turned out. Bread and cheese sandwiches and an island on the Bahamas full of workers who got exploited and not paid. Social media can often be for the powers of good and in recent weeks, it has! People have been able to connect to vital resources and other perspectives other than their own. When it comes to #BlackoutTuesday - the day has passed, but the work has begun. Black people are worth more than black squares that fit inside of a social media platform. Yes, #BlackoutTuesday is over, but it’s time to roll our sleeves up and do the work.

Let's take a look at the proper origins of ‘Blackout Tuesday’ and the original intent behind it. Atlantic senior directors of marketing, Brianna Agyemang and Jamila Thomas were the catalysts behind the initial idea. As history continues to show, powerful black women continue to create things that implore massive change. Together, they made #TheShowMustBePaused. This was an initiative that implored the music industry to take a collective break on June 2nd. This was not only to observe the recent deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, but also to look at biases that have long plagued the industry itself while holding partners accountable for them.

Once things leave your hands, they grow into something you can’t control. This initiative somehow grew into #BlackoutTuesday. While this did do a lot of good, there were some aspects that seemed like another KONY-esque social media challenge. Some people posted as a checkmark off of their social cause checkbox. “If people see me post this, then they will think I am for the cause without saying much.” The problem with the unintentional evolution of #TheShowMustBePaused molding into the vagueness of #BlackoutTuesday is that it allowed for an easy out. People and corporations posted a black square on social media as some sort of feel-good, virtuous, dopamine hit. This is while going back to sharing and writing inflammatory things about racism. Or taking part in no action at all behind the scenes.

The prejudice against black people is loud and the response against that needs to as big. Call it for what it is. It’s not ‘the establishment’ turning people against each other (I've seen this on FB a lot - wtf?) We don’t have anything to distract us from seeing the ugly, racist truth. No sports. No movies. Regular life continues to be impeded by the coronavirus for the most part. This is a mirror. America now has to witness the plights of black people daily where many of us have no escape from.

In the spirit of #TheShowMustBePaused, what changes need to be made in the entertainment industry that can push things forward?

To the Music Industry: If you sit down in your offices today or go into a Zoom meeting, look at the faces around you. Do you see any diversity? If not, speak up about it. Progress dies in silence. If you are a PR or manager, seek out and work with more black journalists. To artists, speak, and work with black journalists and creatives. Many are tired of seeing the same white journalists get unlimited access, while talented black journalists are left out to dry.

There also need to be more editors in the room who are afforded the ability to make creative choices in coverage. For example, Complex Magazine has posted over ten stories about rapper 6in9ine since his release. Many creative black journalists are crafting beautiful narratives from their newsletters or Medium pages. Those need to be boosted. In the age of clickbait, people are looking for more substantial pieces of writing. Let’s give it to them.

A bigger uproar was needed during the recent rash of media layoffs that impacted journalists of color. For the outlets and publications who have posted messages of solidary on your websites - if I go to your staff page and there’s one black staff writer or editor - is that solidarity or are you trying to get social points? As quick as you display a black square, please be as quick to seek There have been many calls for freelance pitches to write about our current times. No. Hire them and pay them well.

Will the million-dollar companies like Spotify and record labels such as Universal Music Group going to commit to investing money into programs and causes that help black lives? Will they also seek to dismantle predatory practices like 360 record deals and the allowance of artists to have more control of their masters? Do the boardrooms in these places personify the roster of artists that they have? It’s time to give something back to the artistry that you often profit from.

To the Movie Industry: Hire more black directors, producers, screenwriters, etc. Also, stop with the constant ‘slave’ movie narrative. Yes, it’s important to see history as it is, but that doesn't comprise the totality of black peoples’ history. Movies like The Photograph, Moonlight, and Sorry to Bother You display that there is more to the black experience than being in chains. More diversity in casting and award recognition is still needed.

Provide black journalists access to festivals and screenings as well. There are many stories of black journalists going to red carpets and no PRs and actors/actresses stopping to talk to them? We can’t change things if we cannot get into the room. We have to do better.

Hey, News Media: Be more responsible in reporting about these protests. Be more responsible with information in general. Shout truth to power. Speak to people actually on the ground and not from the perspectives of people from the newsdesk. As much attention as you give to the looting and taking a knee, give the same attention to the rubber bullets and tear gas. (It’s funny that taking a knee now is more accepted). Give more credence about why these protests are happening. Yes, the coronavirus threat is apparent with big protest crowds. Was there equal concern when the ‘Reopen America’ protests was happening?

Hell, all media; hire more black people in general. When you do, don’t confine them to reporting things that involve trauma either.

Will the black squares come down and we go back to the same cycle? It’s ok to have a day of reflection, but it’s only in action that will solve problems. More difficult conversations need to be had. Microaggressions need to be addressed. Rebuttals need to be change to silence and listening. A system that encompasses both legal and corporate needs a complete overhaul to accurately address the racism that is hardwired into its psyche. This will take a long time to be accomplished. The best apology comes within changed behavior. Black squares won’t save future lives - but collective voices and actions will.

Follow me on Twitter @ murjanirawls

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