Black Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook users call out cultural appropriation, celebrate moments of black excellence, beauty and talent and show solidarity against racial injustice through the use of the hashtags.
The digital series, #Revolution, takes a look at some of the most popular hashtags and their origin stories through personal narratives, including #BlackGirlMagic, #SayHerName, #BlackTravel, and #Melanin
Our objective was to show how the hashtags create a collective dialogue based on the diversity of black experiences, and how they have made a meaningful impact on issues of race and identity.
Through personal narratives, our strategy was to spark a conversation based on our subjects experiences and provide a safe space for women and others who want their voices heard, their stories known, and experiences shared. The foundations for those conversations included:
#Melanin: At 13-years-old, Tianna noticed how conversations surrounding melanin were always negative. Now, at 16-years-old, her Instagram account @BLKGIRLS has 290K followers to celebrate the color of black girls' skin.
#SayHerName: Founded by Kimberlé Crenshaw, #SayHerName is a social movement that aims to highlight gender-specific ways in which police brutality and anti-black violence disproportionately affect black women, teen girls and trans women.
#BlackGirlMagic: Since childhood, Shawanna's mission has been to empower and inspire black girls and women through the preservation of positive images. A leading voice for #BlackGirlMagic on Instagram, her page @BeBeautifulLA, receives attention from over 125k followers ranging from celebrities to parents and young black girls.
#BlackTravel: Created to cultivate a diverse audience of travelers because of the lack of representation of people of color in travel ads and social media, Nomadness Tribe is a space for young African Americans to share their travel experience via Instagram, Facebook , Twitter and more.
#Revolution was distributed across several of our platforms–YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and our website, TheRoot.com. Not only has the series garnered approximately 2M views, it has also sparked conversation amongst our viewers. With shares from organizations like Open Society Foundation, The Chicago Defender, and Black 365, we were able to increase our visibility and reach a wider audience.
Some social comments:
BRAVO The Root for featuring a woman that's been inspiring and influencing women and men for years! Shawanna Davis is a creative talent like NO OTHER! Thank you for this masterpiece!
Love this message...I love my darkness I wouldnt change my skin tone for nothing...I love how the sun bounces off my features...I just love love love my skin... #lovemymelanin
