White Silence Is Deadly: How To Be An Ally On Social Media

Social media is a powerful tool when used correctly. Over the past week, we’ve seen proof of this in the way people have come together around the world to protest the death of George Floyd, police brutality and systemic racism in the US and UK.

You may’ve seen the term ‘to be silent is to be complicit’ shared widely. For white people, it has never been more important to take stock of what that truly means. Not being racist is not enough, you must be actively anti-racist and take stock each and every day of how you can implement this in your life to create change.

That’s why you’ve seen influencers, celebrities and companies called out for their – very loud – silence on the Black Lives Matter movement and ongoing protests. Because, to not say anything when people are literally screaming for their lives is to say a lot. But specifically, why they’re staying silent has been a sore point of the last week.

When brands or influencers do finally speak up, often their statements begin with ‘I haven’t known what to say to be a good ally’ or ‘I have not wanted to speak out in case I say something wrong’. It’s a fear you may’ve had yourself when posting on social media this weekend.

But crucially, this is just a huge display of your own privilege. Being able to stay silent, to be scared of what’s right or wrong to say, to not do the research, that is a privilege. It's your job to do the work and understand how to be a good ally.

Do not centre yourself

Address your privilege, sure, but not every post has to begin with ‘I’m white and I acknowledge that’. Your followers know that you’re privileged, but this isn’t all about you. The same goes for people posting about how nervous they were to speak up – some things don’t need explaining. You’re speaking up now and choosing to move forward by being actively anti-racist and that’s what matters.

Focus on the content you're posting, not how you think or feel. Think beyond how distressing the footage is for you to watch and think about the people experiencing it, the people who live in fear of it every day. Post the ways in which people can actively help or add to the conversation with facts or research (make sure you credit whatever words you use if they are not yours).

Include a call to action

It is not enough to simply share your thoughts and prayers, a historic quote or a Black Lives Matter infographic (that you may not even have the right to share, fyi). Currently, Google search results for George Floyd quotes, Black Lives Matter quotes and Martin Luther King quotes are spiking. But posting a picture or quote and moving on with your day, onto your next mirror selfie, is the definition of virtue signalling – an empty gesture that doesn’t add enough value to the conversation. Always include an active way people can get involved in the movement or help in some way.

That might be ways to support bail out funds, petitions for justice, books to better educate yourself – there are tons of different resources being shared widely (and if you haven’t seen them, think about expanding your own range of followers to include the people who are sharing ways to help widely). You can find out more about these resources here. Or, you can visit this Google document with petition and charity resources in the UK and US.

Or you could call out those in power that are remaining silent. From politicians to industry giants, it's important to hold people accountable. Ask your local MP what they're doing to tackle racism in the UK, call out the major companies that aren't promising to actively change how they operate to fight the issues their black customers and employees face. This issue goes beyond police brutality and encompasses all the ways black people are treated with less respect in their everyday lives - so call out those that exhibit that in the way they treat their staff, present their brand or handle racism in the workplace.

Educate yourself

The excuse that you don’t know what to say is no longer good enough. Being a good ally means holding yourself accountable and doing the work yourself to better understand what’s going on. That does not mean asking people of colour what you should say or post. It’s not the job of the oppressed to teach you how to stop oppressing them, and it’s a huge emotional burden to expect your friends or family to unpack the injustices they deal with daily for your own benefit.

As well as anti-racism quotes trending on Google, anti-racism resources is also a huge search term right now. You can easily find work online that will help you better understand police brutality and books to read that explain the injustices black people face daily - crucially, in the UK as well as the US.

When it comes to books though, research the author first and note whether they’re actually comfortable with you buying their book right now. Reni Eddo-Lodge, for example, who wrote the award-winning Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race, has encouraged people to find her book in libraries or borrow it.

‘I'm asking everyone who buys a copy to please match however much you bought it with a donation to the Minnesota Freedom Fund,’ she tweeted this week. ‘Better yet, borrow a copy from a friend/your local library and donate what you would have spent. This book financially transformed my life and I really don't like the idea of personally profiting every time a video of a black person's death goes viral.’

You can pay for online courses that help you to unpack your own privilege. You can research how the UK created white supremacy when it colonised countless countries and ruined the lives of indigenous people all around the world. It’s only through understanding how deep this history goes that you can appreciate the importance of this current reaction and how completely valid it is.

Then, not only may you feel more confident to post online, but you can also take these conversations offline into the real world where you can share the education with friends or family members and encourage real change.

Think about who your followers are

Often, everyday people with very normal-sized followings may not feel they are influential enough to post. But when you think about it, you may have more influence than even the activist you follow. When it comes to influencers, we curate our social media feeds to reflect our own ideas, typically following people who think how we do. However, when your main following is your family or friends the people you’re reaching may have starkly different ideas to you.

Think about where you're posting and who you’re posting to when deciding what to post. On Facebook, for example, you may be more likely to reach your problematic uncle than on Instagram. If you know you have problematic friends or family members, post easy-read statistics or facts that illustrate the injustice in a way they cannot argue with. If you think your followers might see this as a solely American problem, post content that helps them understand racism is just as deeply-engrained in the UK as it is in the US and how it impacts Black British people everyday.

If you think your followers feel the same way as you but may not be well-informed, post ways to help, charities they can donate to for example. Or, post links to books they can read more about these topics and suggest they follow other activists that provide this content more, or better, than you.

Ultimately, it's up to you to do the research to feel comfortable posting online. It all comes down to whether you want to appear to be an ally, or actually be one.

Read More: Anti-Racist Charities To Support

Read More:

White People, If You’re Angry About George Floyd You Should Stay That Way

Yes, The UK Does Have A Race Problem. And It's Just As Troubling As America's

The Christian Cooper Case And Why The 'Good Black' Narrative Is A White Supremacist Fallacy