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Honors Projects Undergraduate Research and Creative Practice

4-2021

Roles of in the Movement During COVID-19

Reilly E. Olson Grand Valley State University

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ScholarWorks Citation Olson, Reilly E., "Roles of Social Media in the Black Lives Matter Movement During COVID-19" (2021). Honors Projects. 838. https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/838

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ROLES OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT DURING COVID-19

Reilly E. Olson

Frederik Meijer Honors College Honors Thesis Table of Contents Introduction ...... 2 Review of Literature ...... 5 Critical Race Theory ...... 8 Social media and BLM ...... 8 Social media during COVID-19 ...... 11 Methodology ...... 13 Data Analysis ...... 14 Voting and Political Statements ...... 15 Calls to Action ...... 17 Victims of and ...... 19 African in History ...... 19 Support of Other Causes ...... 20 Community Outreach ...... 21 BLM Social Media During COVID-19 ...... 21 Conclusion ...... 24 References ...... 27

LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. People applaud from their apartments in support of medical staff in Spain [Photograph]; (Fernandez M., 2020) ...... 7 Figure 2. ’s image projected on the Robert E. Lee Monument in Richmond, , on June 18, 2020 [Photograph]; (Katopodis T., 2020) ...... 7 Figure 3. Post []. (2020, November 1). [Voting Information]...... 16 Figure 4Instagram Post [Anonymous]. (2021, January,13). [Call for Trump’s Impeachment]. .... 17 Figure 5. . Instagram Post [Anonymous]. (202, April 11). [Daunte Wright Mobilization] 18 Figure 6. Instagram Post [Anonymous]. (2020, September 23). [Breonna Taylor Protest Mobilization]...... 19 Figure 7. Instagram Post [Anonymous]. (2020, July 22). [BLM Intersectionality]...... 20 Figure 8. Instagram Post [Anonymous]. (2021, April 10). [ Support] ...... 21 Figure 9. Instagram post [Anonymous]. (2021, November 21). [COVID Safe Car Caravan Event]...... 22 Figure 10. Instagram post [Anonymous]. (2021, February 5). [COVID Vaccinations for People with Disabilities]...... 23 Figure 11. Instagram post [Anonymous]. (2021, April 20). []...... 26 Figure 12. Instagram post [Anonymous]. (2021, April 20). [Official Statement]...... 26

1 Introduction By definition social movements reflect unique times in history. Just as societal issues shape social movements, these movements also shape the history of the times that spur them on. To fully understand a ’s mobilization strategies and goals, one must understand the specific point in history during which they take place (Gerbaudo, 2020). The

Civil Rights and Black Lives Matter (BLM) movements are no exception. To fully grasp the implications of a movement the social and political climate that induce them must be understood. Predecessors of the BLM movement like the National Association for the

Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the resulted in exponential increases in participation of minorities in labor unions and in mobilization, respectively.

Most people assume the Civil Rights era began in the mid 1954 with the Brown v. Board of Education supreme court case. However, the civil rights movement was set into motion over a decade before then with the migration of millions of from rural Southern farming communities into larger industrial areas in the North and West. Black voters in northern states doubled, membership in the National Association for the Advancement of

Colored People increased exponentially, and half a million black workers joined unions all in an effort to change and to legitimize the struggles faced by African Americans in

America (Korstad & Lichtenstein, 1988).

For years scholars have studied this era and tried to categorize its organization, goals, and origins. In the 1960s and 1970s academia viewed the Civil Rights movement as a primarily political one, led by international activists, like Martin Luther King Jr., in national hubs for including Washington DC and Atlanta, Georgia. Initially, the movement’s main goal

2 was categorized as reaching political and judicial change. The frame of the era was shifted by scholars in the 1970s and 1980s who noted that , marches, and sit-ins were not only used to secure political change, but also for social victories and coalition building in black communities led by grassroots organizations. More recently, academics have been trying to incorporate the local, national, political, and social components of the movement into a newer more fully encompassing model (Lawson, 1991). This more intersectional and encompassing model should also be used when framing and studying the BLM movement, a modern descendent of both the NAACP and Civil Rights movement.

From its inception, BLM has utilized social media as an important tool. In 2013, following the acquittal of for the murder of ,

#BlackLivesMatter went viral across multiple social media platforms and would become the catalyst for an entire movement. The came to life offline in 2014 as supporters took it to the streets during the and protests in Ferguson, following the murder of another black man, Michael Brown Jr., by police (Rickford, 2016). The use of #BlackLivesMatter on social media posts allows for personalized and far-reaching public discourse. The accessibility of digital social platforms allows for large and diverse groups to come together to share information, personal experiences, and to mobilize under their cause (Mundt et al., 2018). The advantages of social media for these reasons became even more vital to the movement during the

2019-2020 COVID-19 .

COVID-19 was first seen in Wuhan, China in late December of 2019, by March of 2020 the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic as the cases and death toll continued to rise worldwide (Kaya, 2020). The global COVID-19 health crisis halted life as we knew it, but social injustice, police brutality, and systemic showed no signs of stopping. While the

3 BLM movement predates COVID-19, the movement’s values were brought to the forefront due to clear disparities in the effect COVID-19 had on people of minority groups (Gerbaudo, 2020).

Black Americans make up a disproportionately greater number of COVID-19 cases and deaths compared to other Americans (Millett et al., 2020). This stems from multiple factors that left

African Americans more vulnerable to the pandemic. Black Americans are over-represented in transportation and service industry jobs, meaning many of them were “essential workers” and had more exposure to COVID-19. Further, areas with higher concentrations of black residents also tend to rank highest in un-insurance and limited health system capacity (Millett et al., 2020).

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, social media became an invaluable forum for mobilization, agency, and coalition building under the broader umbrella of BLM. While no activism can have success fully online and it must be done in conjunction with more traditional forms of mobilization like protests, social media has proved to be an indispensable tool for BLM leaders and supporters alike (Mundt et al., 2018). Local and relatively impromptu protests happened across the globe as COVID-19 prevented travel. Further, due to people losing their jobs, working from home, and not being able to travel more people were able to participate in social movements and to a greater degree than ever before (Gerbaudo, 2020). With continued police brutality and the of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and many more, the need for change was as pressing as ever. Leaders, supporters, and allies flooded social media with BLM sentiment.

BLM was able to carry on and invigorate its ever-growing base even with the backdrop of a global health crisis through the use of social media. Thus, ushering in a new age where social media plays a vital role in organization, education, and meaning making for social movements. With a persisting need for social change and humanitarian action against racism and

4 inequality during COVID-19, this research question was developed as the framework for my paper:

RQ: What is the role of social media in activism, specifically the Black Lives Matter movement, during the global health crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Research Question Method Data Type What is the role played by Literature Review Comprehensive summary of

social media in the Black available and recent research Social Media Page Analysis Lives Matter movement on the topic as it relates to during the COVID-19 BLM and COVID-19 and the pandemic? subsequent role played by social media Content analysis of five BLM affiliated -based Instagram pages

Review of Literature Pandemic Protesting

Social movements aim to bring attention to their causes, and they most commonly do this through disruptive techniques, like rallies, marches, and sit-ins, that force others to take a look at what is going on around them. While a global health crisis does not seem to be a fitting time for protesting, the COVID-19 pandemic has become a period marked by intense activism and protests. 2019 and 2020 saw new and diverse forms of protesting that ranged from socially distanced demonstrations of solidarity to “no mask movement” anti-lockdown rallies. Some amazing acts of support and solidarity for healthcare and essential workers came from the “clap for our carers” flash mobs seen in Figure 1. Participants gathered on their balconies or porches to

5 clap together for front line healthcare workers while raising awareness of the financial cuts made to the health sector and the poor and unsafe working conditions faced by many essential workers.

These protests reveal an interesting contrast to typical protesting strategies which rely on disrupting the norm. During the pandemic mask wearing and social distancing became a new norm for people and during these displays of support for essential and front-line healthcare workers people were able to voice their concern while upholding civic duty by abiding by

COVID-19 restrictions. On the opposite end of the spectrum there were anti-lockdown protests against COVID-19 restrictions. In these cases, people gathered mostly without masks and ignoring social distancing guidelines, to voice their discontent with public health and safety measures being taken by governments throughout the world. Some BLM protests also took on new forms during the pandemic, one of them being the toppling of statues of historical figures associated with racism. In the United States and other countries, protests with anti-racist sentiment targeted these symbols of institutional racism like statues of confederate generals,

Christopher Columbus, and people involved in the by knocking them down and/or defacing them, reference Figure 2. These protests have been likened to pre-modern protesting as they have been relatively impromptu and localized due to pandemic restrictions

(Gerbaudo, 2020).

6

Figure 1. People applaud from their apartments in support of medical staff in Spain [Photograph]; (Fernandez M., 2020)

Figure 2. George Floyd’s image projected on the Robert E. Lee Monument in Richmond, Virginia, on June 18, 2020 [Photograph]; (Katopodis T., 2020)

7 Critical Race Theory In her dissertation, Nadine Barnett Cosby relies on the Critical Race Theory in her analysis of online social justice and race discourse. The main premise of the Critical Race

Theory is that racism is engrained and systemic within our society. It directly opposes the view held by some that individual racism is merely an anomaly and does not reflect our societies as a whole. American history is littered with racial injustice and bigotry; a society born from racism cannot claim to be “colorblind”. Law, governance, and criminal justice have their foundations in claims of neutrality and thus adopt the harmful and false descriptor of colorblindness. Refusal to acknowledge systemic inequality and inherent bias in society allows for the perpetuation of over marginalized groups. The Critical Race Theory also acknowledges the intersectionality of discrimination beyond race, and it has been used to study disparities between the sexes and classes as well. Acceptance of the Critical Race Theory amplifies the voices of the marginalized and grants them agency over their own narratives and experiences (Barnett Cosby,

2018). BLM has adopted the ideals of the Critical Race Theory and targets the movement towards dismantling and reforming a systemically racist society.

Social media and BLM There are many differing opinions within academia on the role, if any, that social media does or should play in activism. In his literature review Allsop divides these views on social media and activism into three main groups: slacktivists, paradigm shifters, and facilitators and begs the question: Does social media augment existing forms of activism or is it creating an entirely new form of it? Slacktivists see social media as its own unique realm that has little to no bearing on what actually happens in the world. They warn of people participating in social for ulterior motives like furthering one’s ego or gaining social capital. Slacktivists

8 raise a salient point that “likes” and virtual support do not translate to concrete contributions such as donations and offline action. Paradigm shifters view social media as revolutionizing the way political discourse and action happens. The accessibility of social media in turn makes social movements more accessible which is directly correlated with increases in offline participation. People use social media as a public space to share personal experiences and opinions to build valuable interpersonal relationships with like-minded others. The facilitators’ perspective is that social media is embedded into our society and political action. They view social media as a tool used in conjunction with traditional forms of activism to amplify the message and reach of a movement. They differ from both slacktivists and paradigm shifters in that they do not see social media as a separate reality and they do not think it causes activism, respectively. Social media is invaluable to social movements as a mouthpiece for the everyday person, but people can easily become slacktivists if they solely partake in activism online with no intention of supporting the cause further (Allsop, 2016). With their extensive social media presence BLM has been able to organize countless rallies and events with large turnouts primarily using social media. With any activist movement that relies heavily on social media, like BLM, there is the risk of slacktivists who only participate at the bare minimum without really contributing to the cause.

Following George Zimmerman’s acquittal in 2013, #BlackLivesMatter was coined by

Patrisse Cullors, an artist and activist who became a co-founder of the BLM movement. This seemingly simple phrase managed to encapsulate much of the struggle people of color face in a systemically racist country and invigorate people of color and white allies to support the cause.

#BlackLivesMatter quickly became the backbone of an entire movement and has been used a call

9 to action against racism in all its forms on countless occasions. When another young black man,

Michael Brown Jr., was killed by a police officer in 2014 the hashtag exploded across social media once again. Using social media as their primary tool, supporters and organizers of BLM were able to coordinate a protest in Ferguson, Missouri in the weeks following Brown’s death.

Because of the accessibility of social media hundreds of people from across the country participated in the Ferguson protests, many of whom had never even participated in an organized protest before (Clayton, 2018). This speaks not only to the power of the BLM as a movement but also to the crucial role social media can play for such a cause.

The BLM movement that began as a reactionary digital tool through the use of

#BlackLivesMatter became proactive as its message on social media was used to inspire action from both an older generation of activists and an eager younger generation from across the socioeconomic, race, and sexuality spectrum. BLM’s use of and other social media platforms for organizing protests increased the engagement of many, both online and off.

BLM’s message was made more mainstream as social media allowed users to both disseminate important information and share personal experiences related to the cause. Mass online interaction, exchange, and communication links people with common goals and values and assists social media users in gaining, maintaining, and cultivating resources and community support (Barnett Cosby, 2018). BLM’s use of social media draws on and modernizes traditional modes of insurgency. This strategy reenergized older activists and spurred the action and support of a younger, social media savvy generation of activists of all races, genders, sexual identities, and socioeconomic backgrounds (Rickford, 2016).

The BLM movement is unique – compared to the NAACP – in that it does not have a stratified, or vertical, leadership hierarchy. Without a centralized leadership authority, it can be

10 argued that the movement is even more powerful as it allows for equal opportunity to lead. This horizontal structure also opens the movement up to more intersectional approaches (Mundt et al.,

2018). BLM is able to share calls to action for causes that are peripherally related to the movement like support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, queer people of color, and maternal health (Barnett Cosby, 2018). The horizontal leadership of BLM also allows grass-roots efforts to gain more traction and support which brings attention to local communities and the racial disparities they face around the country. A social cause like BLM is more naturally suited for digital activism because issues like police brutality are visual and very impactful for those who witness them. For example, the video of George Floyd’s murder by police officer quickly spread online and garnered increasing support for BLM.

Conversely, movements against things like wealth inequity are not as visual and thus are less suited for social media activism (Mundt et al., 2018).

Social media during COVID-19 Social media has become one of the most effective and widely used mediums for communication today which makes it a key forum for crisis management and public health education. Social media enables two-way dialogue between decision makers and the public, making it an easy go-to when people are looking for information directly from the source or authorities on a topic. Studies done on social media during various public health scares, like Zika and Ebola viruses, found that people who checked social media more frequently felt more prepared. A study done during the COVID-19 pandemic found that most participants used social media to keep track of news about the virus (Kaya, 2020). Most people’s lives are intertwined with social media and smartphone use, due to COVID-19 restrictions people began to use social media even more to gather information (Goel & Gupta, 2020). With higher rates of digital

11 interaction during the pandemic, more people were made aware of the continued abuse African

Americans face in the United States which assisted in the BLM movement’s growth.

National shelter in place orders during COVID-19 restricted much of our normal face-to- face human contact whether it was going into work or school or simply taking trips to the grocery store. The loss of in-person human connection made people feel isolated and many became more reliant on the internet for connection with others. As police brutality continued across the United States during 2019 and 2020 and COVID-19 amplified disparities faced by minority groups in the United States people searched for outlets to share their grievances.

Many found shared emotions and opinions on these topics online through social media which in turn helped garner broad support for protests and movements against racism (Grant &

Smith, 2021). During the pandemic the use of #BlackLivesMatter allowed people to congregate under the same idea or message. Social media granted access to the movement to more people that were not in the same area, which became especially valuable during COVID-19 (Barnett

Cosby, 2018).

Perhaps the most obvious advantage of using social media for social movements is the ease of mobilization and recruitment of new supporters through digital means. Because social media is a public forum it allows for participation from anyone. This accessibility of social media without requiring users to pay for access allows BLM social media pages to maintain an online presence with many followers, which in turn increases protest turnouts and more successful fundraising campaigns. Leaders within the BLM movement use social media, even prior to COVID-19, to share times and locations of their events. Support between leaders of each other’s events by sharing the details on their own pages helps with higher turnouts as well. Social media itself can even be seen as a space for congregation of like-minded people to share

12 experiences and information safely (Mundt et al., 2018). Features on social media such as “likes” and “followers” can be considered forms of mobilization as well through people showing their support with a click of a button, however social media users must be mindful to not fall into meaningless “”. When certain posts or go viral due to immense amounts of likes, shares, and comments those posts are catapulted to the forefront of everyone’s social media feeds which brings even more attention to the issues at hand.

Methodology The sources used in my literature review were gathered using the search engines Google

Scholar, Communication Source, ProQuest Psych Info, and Academic Search Ultimate. Using key words in my searches like “social media”, “Black Lives Matter”, “COVID-19”, “activism”, and “civil rights movement” and search strings like “social media and Black Lives Matter”,

“activism and social media”, and “Black Lives Matter and COVID-19” I was able to gather a comprehensive list of articles, research papers and literature reviews that encompassed my topic.

For my searches I also used filters to ensure my sources were relevant and accurate by only listing papers published within the past five years. As I compiled my sources, I read through them I took notes, summarized them, and wrote annotations that were later used to aid in writing my literature review section.

For the quantitative section of my research, I gathered five Michigan based Instagram pages that are affiliated with the BLM message. Each of these pages are public pages on

Instagram that anyone has access to view and interact with. I found these by first searching

“BLM Michigan” in the Instagram search bar to see what pages came up, I then went through the list of other accounts these pages followed to find more for my analysis. I analyzed their

13 biography (bio) sections to see how they self-define their pages, goals, and affiliations with the national BLM movement. I further analyzed the content they share, and I specifically looked at how, or if, they changed their social media use strategies following COVID-19 lockdown restrictions placed in March 2020.

Data Analysis Each of the five Instagram pages I analyzed for this part of my research were public pages that stated in the bio section that they were based in Michigan. Two of these accounts were official chapters of the BLM organization, which they stated in their bios. The other three were not officially linked to national BLM but they did share BLM-related posts and defined their goals as bringing awareness to or stopping systemic racism and they identified themselves as community organizations. Two of these accounts did not have any content posted prior to the national stay in place orders in March of 2020, one of these shared in their initial post that they formed their page and organization due to the 2020 murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery.

All of the Instagram accounts were very community oriented and focused on issues that directly impacted their immediate areas. Most of them were focused on mobilization and organizing rallies and marches, they all also shared educational and informational content about historical black figures, and current events of police brutality in the United States and Michigan.

They each shared the dates and times of city or township council meetings along with issues affecting the community that attendees of these meetings should bring up. All of the accounts were also very active and vocal about the importance of the 2020 presidential election. Each of the accounts shared information about individual victims of police brutality and murder which

14 ranged from local people to high-profile cases like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and each with the overwhelming sentiment of getting justice for these victims by charging and convicting the police officers involved. Though my analysis of posts shared by these accounts I categorized them into groups that showed similar themes like urges to vote and sharing political opinions, calls to action or mobilization, updates and information on victims killed by police or of police brutality, spotlights of important African Americans in history, support of other causes, and local community outreach efforts.

I did notice changes in the content posted by the accounts that were active prior to March

2020. Following COVID-19 restrictions and lockdown orders these accounts shifted a lot of their protesting strategies to “COVID-safe” ones like car caravans, zoom meetings, and “phone zaps”.

Farther into the COVID-19 pandemic these organizations also began sharing information on in- person protests and rallies again, but the majority of the photos they shared from these protests showed participants all wearing masks. During COVID-19 these Instagram pages also began sharing content having to do with other social causes like LGBTQ+ rights, feminism, and support for the Stop Asian Hate movement.

Voting and Political Statements Each of the five accounts shared information on the 2020 presidential election and urged followers to vote. They shared reminders to vote, links for voter registration, information on how to find your designated polling location, and information about presidential candidates. They all urged their followers to vote democrat as well and were vocal about their dis-taste of the Trump administration and its wrong doings, see Figure 4. In these political posts, the accounts provided both logistical information on voting, see Figure 3, as well as information and stances on the candidates.

15

Figure 3. Instagram Post [Anonymous]. (2020, November 1). [Voting Information].

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHESAhqjArJ/

16

Figure 4Instagram Post [Anonymous]. (2021, January,13). [Call for Trump’s Impeachment].

https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ-qBu_BGU4/

Calls to Action Three of the accounts I analyzed used their Instagram pages heavily for mobilization for their protests, rallies, and other events. They shared the times, dates, and locations of their upcoming marches and invited users to join them. They also posted photos and videos taken during these events after the fact. There were also calls for mobilization in the form of monetary donations, petition signing, and participation in town or city council meetings. By providing all the needed information on a certain event in one post it makes it easier for users to participate and share that information on their own accounts or with friends. Below, you’ll see calls to action for two protests: one for justice for Daunte Wright, and the other for Breonna Taylor,

17 Figure 5 and Figure 6. Both Daunte Wright and Breonna Taylor were shot and killed by police almost a year apart.

Figure 5. . Instagram Post [Anonymous]. (202, April 11). [Daunte Wright Protest Mobilization]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNjQBY-jMLy/

18

Figure 6. Instagram Post [Anonymous]. (2020, September 23). [Breonna Taylor Protest Mobilization].

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFfR0j0jK_P/

Victims of Police Brutality and Murder One thing that BLM is known for is uplifting all victims of and raising awareness for police brutality or murder by police by demanding justice and reform with the slogan “Defund the Police”. Every account I looked at shared images of those murdered or abused by police like

George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many more. Along with these images the accounts gave updates on any ongoing trials, fundraising efforts for grieving families, and demands of criminal justice reform.

African Americans in History Many of the posts shared were educational in and were used to put a spotlight on important African Americans in history. Typically, along with photos, the accounts would share

19 information on what these people did and how their actions impacted the black community, the country, and the world. This was especially focused on during .

Support of Other Causes The BLM movement is nothing if not inclusive and this was highlighted by the wide breadth of posts in support of other causes including LGBTQ+ rights, see Figure 7, feminism, and the Stop Asian Hate movement, Figure 8, to name a few. These posts further show that BLM is diverse in its goals and is able to rally behind all people facing discrimination.

Figure 7. Instagram Post [Anonymous]. (2020, July 22). [BLM Intersectionality].

https://www.instagram.com/p/CC9QBrWjCw7/

20

Figure 8. Instagram Post [Anonymous]. (2021, April 10). [Stop Asian Hate Support]

ttps://www.instagram.com/p/CNf-be2D7U3/

Community Outreach Because BLM is grassroots and locally oriented many of the accounts I looked at centered their content on current events in their communities. The belief that real change can start in your own backyard is key within the BLM movement and can be seen in these five organizations’ efforts for their own towns or cities. They share information on unjust evictions by local police, donation links for community members in need, and support for the homeless community.

BLM Social Media During COVID-19 These BLM accounts did begin organizing “COVID safe” events during the pandemic.

They employed strategies like car caravans, see Figure 9, instead of marches, “phone zaps” in

21 place of attending city council meetings, and they focused more heavily on circulating petitions.

Some of the accounts also began pushing for the reform of health disparities illuminated by

COVID-19, like in Figure 10 in which the account is promoting vaccination access for people with disabilities.

Figure 9. Instagram post [Anonymous]. (2021, November 21). [COVID Safe Car Caravan Event].

https://www.instagram.com/p/CH3v9MYDYt7/

22

Figure 10. Instagram post [Anonymous]. (2021, February 5). [COVID Vaccinations for People with Disabilities].

https://www.instagram.com/p/CK63iJFDi2J/

My analysis of five Michigan based BLM affiliated Instagram accounts highlighted the reliance of the movement on social media for mobilization, organization, and donations for protests and other events. It also illuminated the intersectional approach the BLM movement tends to take towards human rights by supporting other causes like equal rights between the sexes, Asian rights, and LGBTQ+ rights. Social media is a powerful tool that is used to gather resources and disseminate information about racial and other injustices that plague the United

States. It is clear that social media became even more valuable to these organizations during

COVID-19 as their typical strategies like protesting were no longer safe.

23 Conclusion As this literature review and analysis of social media pages indicates social media serves as a powerful tool for social movements like BLM. The accessibility and far-reaching effects of the internet allow for large and diverse groups to come together under a shared goal or opinion.

These groups can then easily mobilize and congregate offline to contribute to real change.

People’s lives are intertwined with social media use and the global COVID-19 pandemic made that relationship stronger and even necessary. Through this literature review and analyses on

BLM associated Instagram pages, I found that BLM is related to but different from its predecessors the NAACP and Civil Rights movement. BLM is able to easily mobilize both online and congregate offline to contribute to real change. Analysis of five Michigan based BLM affiliated Instagram pages highlighted their use of social media for multiple facets of a movement. Urges to vote and more specifically, to vote democrat, were widespread during the

2020 presidential election season. Calls to action were used to mobilize followers to increase protest turnouts and monetary donations for various causes. Social media is used to draw attention to both national and local cases of police brutality and murder. Because these Instagram accounts self-identified as community organizations, they all used their platforms to better their communities by assisting the homeless and promoting donations for community members in need. BLM’s dedication to intersectionality was highlighted in Instagram posts dedicated to other peripherally related causes like LGBTQ+ rights, feminism, and Stop Asian Hate. Many of these pages value historical education through their posts about important African American figures in history. They also were able to adapt their mobilization strategies under COVID-19 restrictions by promoting alternative protesting methods, like car caravans.

Even though life as we knew it stopped when COVID-19 hit, the need for change and powerful social movements was not diminished. The pandemic actually shined a brighter light on

24 racial inequities and abuse suffered by people of color in . The BLM movement was forced to adapt with social media at the forefront of organization and information dissemination during a time when more traditional forms of mobilization were not viable. However, no social movement can have success solely online so online action must be done in conjunction with more traditional forms of action like protest. In the midst of the , the police officer that murdered George Floyd, BLM rallied for a murder conviction, reference

Figures 11 and 12. When Chauvin was convicted on April 20, 2021, BLM made one thing abundantly clear: while this is a success, accountability and justice are two separate things and we still have a long way to go before we achieve true justice in this country.

25

Figure 11. Instagram post [Anonymous]. (2021, April 20). [Defund the Police].

https://www.instagram.com/p/CN5xaUSDXyL/

Figure 12. Instagram post [Anonymous]. (2021, April 20). [Official Statement].

https://www.instagram.com/p/CN5p78rjZrQ/

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https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2056305118807911

Rickford, R. (2016). Black Lives Matter: Toward a Modern Practice of Mass Struggle.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1095796015620171?casa_token=HDr3jbn

DJ3gAAAAA:KPh7TGU31EcAACZk-

Rg4g_v_y6He8wAdnNAyrFITEbwWpz1FPZp_wP5PSaXqMNLDy0kobfp0dtnw

Figure 1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/clap-for-carers/2020/03/26/3d05eb9c- 6f66-11ea-a156-0048b62cdb51_story.html

Figure 2. https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2020/07/photos-statues-removed-george-floyd- protests-began/613774/

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