Acting Like Activists

A Letter from the Editor-in-Chief

written by Amanda Willis | designed by Kenneth Rudolph

MATTER

MATTER MATTER MATTER

On June 2, 2020, millions of social media users’ timelines turned into a long reel of black squares. Posting these squares was a movement inspired by Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang in an open letter released on Twitter calling for #BlackoutTuesday. Their intention was for people to blackout the newsfeed, so they could reflect on ways to help the black community.

This is an example of ‘performative activism.’ It is an action used to increase social capital by publicly showing involvement with a cause. It is activism that people do to be part of a trend.

On #BlackoutTuesday people “felt like they had to post.” Sarah Miller, 40, Boston University sociology professor, said, “We are all performing, whether or not we are backed by the actions that make change.”

“Some people have been doing this for their entire lives, so participating in…Blackout Tuesday was just like a tiny drop,” Miller said. “In things that they have done in terms of activism.”

Oftentimes, smaller groups of genuine activists are the ones creating the policy changes that reach the general public. Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University sociology professor Dr. Keith D. Parker suggested members of the cause extend an “olive branch” to “slacktivists.”

Miller noted that online activism isn’t only a social media post, but also a tool that sheds light on racial inequalities in the real world. “More videos have been recorded, and access to them has gotten better,” she said. A more diverse group is sharing these videos to a larger audience, and people are being held accountable. This accountability has been seen on a local level.

While working at Haute Headz salon as a stylist in Tallahassee, Florida, Joey Egiziano, 23, met with the all-white owners to suggest ways the salon could become a more inclusive space for people of color. Shortly after her suggestions were made, Egiziano was fired via text message.

In the uprising following George Floyd’s murder in May, activists took to the streets of Tallahassee. The salon staff went outside to watch and record a group of protestors passing the salon.

Through the chanting of “Black Lives Matter,” Monique Wood, one of the owners, said regarding their ex-employee, “Do you think Joey is there?” This audio was captured in a video that made its way to Egiziano.

As the salon posted a black square on Instagram for #BlackoutTuesday, Egiziano used her platform to expose her ex-employer. The salon “had chosen the side of the oppressor publicly,” Egiziano said. The post has 17,200 views, and the comments section has become another way community members are exposing Haute Headz.

After seeing the post about Haute Headz, Joi Berry, a 19-year-old activist, said, “It’s a privilege learning about rac

ism rather than experiencing it.”

Just like the one near Haute Headz, murals being painted across the United States are being labeled as Band-Aid solutions to a much bigger problem. “[Slacktivists] do not understand what the people are standing for,” Parker said.

Instead of taking actions to change policy, cities are making themselves seem more inclusive by “putting paint on pavement,” said Trey Friedrich, 27, Student Program Coordinator at Florida State University.

Through history, using images has had a significant impact on people. “They are part of a much broader collective movement to get people to pay attention,” Miller said.

Using the examples of murals painted in front of Trump Tower and on the road leading to the White House, Miller said these statements should be followed by policy changes.

In 55 days, Black Lives Matter has mobilized out of Minneapolis, where George Floyd was murdered, and to the global community. Joining the Black Lives Matter movement to stay “on trend” is one thing, but real change comes with changing policies.

“It’s incumbent upon leadership to extend Olive branches to individuals and then we try to persuade them about the commonalities we have,” Parker said.

Does the future of activism depend on staying trendy, or will a collective change towards educating people help shape social movements?