Yesterday’s #BlackOutDay Took Social Media By Storm

By Sameer Rao Sep 22, 2015

#BlackOutDay returned to social media yesterday with a bang. Becoming a trending topic on Twitter, the hashtag accompanied many images of users, black celebrities, and all representations of black people celebrating beauty, accomplishment and empowerment:

#BlackOutDay was started this spring by a group called The Blackout with a mission of challenging white-normative media and beauty standards that are perpetuated throughout society. The aim of these days is to flood social media with positive and empowering depictions of black people that aren’t normally used by advertisers, by the mainstream media or in entertainment. The days typically have a theme that is encouraged in at least some posts (though individual social media users don’t always stick to the suggested theme). Yesterday’s theme was "Uprising!" with a focus on the Haitian Revolution. 

(H/t Ebony