Tegan Minzie profile image Tegan Minzie

A hashtag

A hashtag
"Blackout post" refers to the trend of sharing black squares on social media platforms to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. The phrase "amidst social justice turmoil" underscores the broader context of ongoing social justice struggles and the need for meaningful engagement beyond mere symbolism.

A hashtag,
A like,
A share,
We stand with you!
We are allies!
Discount for all,
We support the movement.

Then nothingness.
No actions,
Just words.
Silence.
No mentions, no talk, no nothing.

No ways to educate,
No learning to be had,
No changes made within,
Just words,
No actions.

Inclusive, diverse,
It’s easy to say, jumping on the bandwagon,
Then it is no longer the trend.
The conversation is forgotten.
Onto the next one.

Money on the mind,
Caring little for the conversation,
Public appearance more important,
Let’s try again.
Another like,
Another share,
Another discount code,
Pretending we actually care,
For a week, maybe a month or so.
Let’s see how this goes.
Then onto the next one.

Repeating this through time,
Over and over again.
How to break the cycle of those who see only profit?

We take things into our own hands,
Spending better,
Promoting our talent,
Researching our own history,
Teaching ourselves, our communities too,
Sharing knowledge,
Doing with it what we will.

For some it is business,
For us it’s our lives,
Much more than just a hashtag.