Following the death of George Floyd involving the Minneapolis police last week, riots and protests have erupted across the US. Hoards of people are taking to the streets to fight against police brutality and racism. Just as many are using social media to fight against these injustices, including one activist who used the recent controversy surrounding Lana del Rey to draw attention to Black Lives Matter
Last night, Twitter user @alluregaga posted “EXPOSING LANA DEL REY; a thread.” The tweet quickly picked up steam, and soon del Rey’s name was trending on the social media platform. However, when fans clicked in to read the thread, it had nothing to do with the singer.
In a genius move, @alluregaga used the thread to promote campaigns raising money for Black Lives Matter including the Minnesota Freedom Fund, the National Bail Fund Network and more.
Also featured in the thread are ways to help fight the cause, including signing petitions, texting or calling the District Attorney and donating to victims, protestors, black owned businesses and more.
Perhaps the specific use of Lana del Rey’s name helped the Black Lives Matter thread go viral because she recently faced backlash for singling out primarily black female artists in an Instagram statement about accusations she ‘glamorises abuse.’
It’s an incredibly clever way to ‘hack’ social media and use the algorithm of trending topics to draw attention to an incredibly worthy cause. It’s also a sad state of affairs, that it takes a completely separate celebrity issue to force people to listen.
Either way, it’s empowering to see so many people fighting for justice – not only for George Floyd, but for the countless victims of racism and police brutality. Together, we can fight against these injustices.
As Michelle Obama said in her own social media post, “It starts with self-examination and listening to those whose lives are different from our own. It ends with justice, compassion, and empathy that manifests in our lives and on our streets.
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