Blackout Tuesday – Why people are sharing black images to social media

Blackout Tuesday is an initiative organised to protest racism and police violence.

People have been sharing black images on social media this morning in honour of Blackout Tuesday. Organised by music executives Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang, The Show Must Be Paused is an initiative that encourages all those in the music industry to show their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Protesting racism and police violence, the initiative has been spurred on by the recent murder of George Floyd who died in Minneapolis last week after an American police officer held him down, kneeling on his neck for over eight minutes. A number of artists, musicians, performers and major labels around the world have gotten involved, pledging to "disconnect from work and reconnect with the community". A statement on the official Instagram reads: "#TheShowMustBePaused is an initiative created by two Black women in music in observance of the long-standing racism and inequality that exists from the boardroom to the boulevard. We will not continue to conduct business as usual without regard for Black lives. Tuesday, June 2nd is meant to intentionally disrupt the workweek." The statement goes on to add: "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." Calling for the music industry - those who "benefit from the efforts, struggles, and success of Black people" - to be held accountable, content and music creators are putting their work on pause for a moment of silence as they try to find tangible ways to make positive changes. Anyone participating in the initiative is asked to use the hashtag 'BlackOutTuesday'.

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