Democracy Dies in Darkness

Why some Black Lives Matter supporters are upset about those black squares on Instagram

Use the hashtag #BlackoutTuesday, not #BlackLivesMatter, they say, so vital voices are not drowned out

By
June 2, 2020 at 2:12 p.m. EDT
George Floyd's brother, Terrence Floyd, center in white T-shirt, visits a memorial for his brother Monday in Minneapolis. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)

Row after row of black squares populated many people’s Instagram feeds Tuesday morning, and a quick search for the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter showed a grid made up almost entirely of solid black backgrounds.

The black squares were meant to show solidarity for the Black Lives Matter movement and for the protests that have swept the country for the past week after the death of George Floyd in police custody.