#MyBlackIsWinning: The Importance of Black Twitter
#MyBlackIsWinning: The Importance of Black Twitter
Black Twitter is a unshakeable force of social media to reckoned with. If you haven't witnessed the cultural phenomena that is Black Twitter, I assume a rock has been your residence as of late. Whether it's criticism that's ripping a new one on Chris Brown's latest antics, memes teasing Denzel, below average looks at the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight, or solidarity movements through powerful hashtags, Black Twitter has a resounding voice within the African-American diaspora. And it's here to stay.
For the uninformed, Black Twitter is a group of black Tweeters who tweet, comment, favorite, and retweet in a community that includes millions, giving commentary on social injustice, celebrity ratchetness, and misinformed and misguided white people. For some, it rings as an exclusive club, only reserved to those who experienced the hallmarks of black culture for example, but certainly not limited to: getting your literal edges snatched by your mama braiding your hair, drinking "red" Kool-Aid, and getting asked by a white person if they could touch your beautiful unicorn afro. For me, "fresh-out-the-box-stop-look-and-watch-ready- yet-get-set-I'm- All-That" black person, Black Twitter isn't a cornered society that requires the proverbial black card to be checked at entry. It's an extension of black culture. And during a time in America where the black voice needs to be heard, it screams the loudest.
For a group of people that often are mistreated, misaddressed, and misbranded, Black Twitter provides a voice of advocacy and acknowledgement that the media seems to only want to speak out for when TV shows with stellar ratings have black cast members and are drawing in the coin *cough* *cough* *Empire*. In a world where at first glance, it could be assumed that I'm a teen mother with several "baby daddies", no father, and the temper of an angry black woman, Black Twitter speaks out against these stigmas and paints the diversity of blackness. Take #HBCUMenInSuits, a hashtag depicting educated black men (shocker!) in suits on historically black college campuses. By showing that not all black people are gun gangbangers who are harmful to police officers as unarmed teens (that's another article for another day), it illustrated the depth of black culture.
Rap music, illiteracy, and basketball are not permanent defining staples of who I am simply due to the color of my skin. The color of my skin does not bind me to a specific path of life, nor does it assume my intellect, work ethic, or socio-economic status. Black Twitter is helping break down those stigmas. 140 characters at a time.
Brianna Powell is a sophomore at Metea Valley High School in wonderful world of Chicagoland. She is a writing enthusiast with a passion for the pen. She's also a features journalist for her school paper, The Stampede and a High School Ambassador for Her Campus. She has aspirations to be a journalist for a major magazine publication in the future. When not writing, she can be found talking to walls at Speech tournaments, playing on the lacrosse field, and eating Ben and Jerry's Cinnamon Buns ice cream while binge watching Scandal on Netflix.