Amid the outrage over the killing of Mike Brown in Ferguson, MO and other senseless killings of our young black brothers and sisters, a certain hashtag?has taken over Twitter.
This one really moved me. It says: #IfTheyGunnedMeDown.
For those unfamiliar with Twitter, hashtags are ways of getting the word out about something by grouping it with a # symbol. If you were to click on this hashtag, you would see all tweets, pictures, links and people related to it. This makes Twitter fairly easy to navigate once you get the hang of it. When enough people are commenting about a hashtag, it may become a trending topic, meaning that it is one of the most talked about topics on Twitter at a given time.
This hashtag really moved me because it shouldn’t exist. The plethora of shootings we are seeing has enabled a hashtag like this to be created and that in and of itself is a shame. People of color have such a negative and pessimistic thought in their heads like “being gunned down” because they are seeing it happen across the country. This also moved me because the incredible people I have talked to along with the pictures I have seen them post. The pictures that go along with this hashtag usually present themselves in a dichotomous fashion; in other words, people will juxtapose a photo of themselves in what can be deemed more of a “thuggish” way, with one of more “esteem” and “professionalism.”
I have captured some of my favorite tweets and people below.
This is 18 year old Alston Rankin. He is from Greensboro, NC and will attend?East Carolina in the Fall, majoring in Communications. He said the first picture was of him after school one day and the other was him at?his senior prom with his parents. He says his parents both raised him and well. He went to a?predominately white high school and has always understood the importance of appearance. However, if he was gunned down, the media could easily portray him as a troubled youth because of one picture like the first one.
Would they portray the real you? #IfTheyGunnedMeDown pic.twitter.com/TWL4iTA9JN
? Juva Ric?? (@AlstonRankin) August 10, 2014
This is Darien Williams. He is 19 and from Virginia. ?He said he left the street life and now wants to do something better with his life and he wants to be a person that others can look up to. His picture really touched me because these images can be seen as completely opposite. As we know though, we are complex and wonderful creatures. Pictures cannot explain everything about who we are. We all have times where we are just having fun or being relaxed. We also have times where we show our true hearts and passions. This tweet really shows this quite well. I asked Darien to explain these pictures. He said the first one is just him hanging out, being himself. He described the other one as him reading to some kids and trying to bring joy to the day. Most inspiring to me? Darien also describes the picture on the right as him “also being myself.” Inspiring.
#IfTheyGunnedMeDown what picture would they use pic.twitter.com/lJ3k3tT63n ? King Ghidorah (@__TrillClinton) August 11, 2014
Lastly, this is Michael. He is 25 and from Texas. He is currently in the U.S. Navy and has a wife and one stepson. He is the oldest of 4 siblings. In any situation, out of uniform mostly, Michael could be seen as a threat simply by being a black man. But he notes that people may not see him as a hero who has served the very country ?that is still?battling?such racism and oppression.
#IfTheyGunnedMeDown will they focus on the sacrifices I’ve made for this country? pic.twitter.com/SI7jgAfHBt
? Brotha (@SweetSlimJones_) August 10, 2014
It is sad that our generation of black and brown people still have to live in such an unfair and unjust world, but we are knowledgeable and resilient and we will continue to work towards creating positive change!
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