Members of the music and entertainment industries blacked out their social media feeds on Tuesday and pledged to not share content on social media for the day in order to raise awareness of inequities faced by black Americans.
The movement, called #BlackoutTuesday or #TheShowMustBePaused, alternatively, encouraged celebrities to take a break from posting content on social media platforms so that conversations on the platforms could focus on issues of race and inequality.
Celebrities including Conan O’Brien, Kylie Jenner and singer Rihanna posted images on Instagram and Twitter in support of the campaign, while others such as Fortnite streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins released statements noting that they would cease sharing content on social media for the day.
“Tomorrow, I will be participating in #BlackOutTuesday and will not be streaming or posting on any social media platforms. No distractions from what is happening in the United States,” Blevins tweeted on Monday.
Tiffany Trump, daughter of President Trump, also participated in the campaign, posting a blacked-out image on Instagram with an accompanying quote from Helen Keller: ”Alone we can achieve so little; together we can achieve so much.”
Others including MSNBC contributor Brittany Packnett and “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda urged those taking part to avoid using the #blacklivesmatter hashtag on their posts to avoid clogging that feed with blacked-out images and posts of support.
Others lambasted the hashtag for itself being a distraction and called on white Americans to act instead of performing activism on social media.
The campaign comes just over a week after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Floyd’s death in police custody sparked protests that have spread across the U.S., with tens of thousands of Americans taking part in demonstrations against police brutality and racism. A video showed an officer with his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes before his death; that officer has been charged with third-degree murder.