Black Out Tuesday
In solidarity with the fight for racial equality, FOX 2 is participating in the social media blackout on Tuesday, June 2. That means after this post was shared on social media, you won't see any others from FOX 2 for the rest of the day. It's a small effort to show that Black Lives Matter.
That does not mean we won't be doing our jobs. You can still find all of the most important news at fox2detroit.com. We'll still be covering COVID-19 updates from Michigan, and all other news that comes along on Tuesday.
The initiative, started as #TheShowMustBePaused, was created by two Black women in the multi-billion dollar music industry that profits so greatly from Black art.
Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang planned the blackout in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and the many Black citizens who have died at the hands of police.
Their hope is to hold accountable the music industry and all the major corporations and partners who benefit from the efforts of Black people.
They want to shine a light on the “long-standing racism and inequality that exists from the boardroom to the boulevard.”
“Tuesday, June 2nd is meant to intentionally disrupt the work week,” the movement’s website states. “Monday suggests a long weekend, and we can’t wait until Friday for change. It is a day to take a beat for an honest, reflective and productive conversation about what actions we need to collectively take to support the Black community.”
From the initial hashtag, it has evolved to Blackout Tuesday (also referred to as Black Out Tuesday). You can participate by posting on social media a single black picture. Then don't post anything for the rest of the day. If you do choose to participate, don't use the hashtag #blacklivesmatter because when you search for that hashtag on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, it pushes down the work that protesters have done before this week.
Protests spread across the nation when a video surfaced showing a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes as three other officers watched.
In March, Taylor was shot and killed while sleeping in her home as police in Louisville executed a “no-knock warrant."
Arbery died in February when two white men shot him as he jogged through a Georgia neighborhood.
Lachlan Murdoch, the CEO of the FOX Corporation, said the unrest surrounding Floyd’s left him “shocked and saddened.”
“It is essential that we grieve with the Floyd family, closely listen to the voices of peaceful protest and fundamentally understand that Black lives matter,” Murdoch wrote in a memo to colleagues.
Organizers stress that Tuesday’s demonstration is not just a 24-hour event, vowing to be in the fight for the long haul with a plan of action.
They provided links to help the families of Floyd, Taylor and Arbery.
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