Utah State Athletics Participates In ‘Blackout Tuesday’ Nationwide Social Media Movement
Jun 2, 2020, 11:16 AM | Updated: 11:22 am
Courtesy of @USUAthletics on Twitter
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utah State Athletics and a number of the Aggies’ programs participated in the “Blackout Tuesday” social media campaign in support of the fight against racial injustice.
The Aggies joined the “Blackout Tuesday” movement on Tuesday, June 2.
Utah State’s official Twitter accounts for the school’s athletics department, football team, men’s basketball team, track and field team, and cross country team each shared posts on social media in support.
The Aggies participated in Blackout Tuesday, a movement created to amplify the voices of black people on social media. The premise is to “mute” personal content and in place of it share content from black creators.
You can learn more about the movement below.
Utah State Athletics
— Utah State Athletics (@USUAthletics) June 2, 2020
Utah State athletic director John Hartwell also shared a post with the movement’s hashtag as well as a short message.
“We will listen, learn, and get better,” Hartwell wrote.
We will listen, learn, and get better. #BlackOutTuesday pic.twitter.com/NTnIlWqdGb
— John Hartwell (@john_hartwell) June 2, 2020
Utah State Football
— USU Football (@USUFootball) June 2, 2020
Utah State Men’s Basketball
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) June 2, 2020
Utah State Track and Field & Cross Country
#blackoutuesday pic.twitter.com/k3nGhCJj9g
— USU T&F/XC (@USUTF_XC) June 2, 2020
A day prior to the June 2 campaign, Hartwell released a statement regarding USU’s stance on racial injustice.
“We are broken-hearted with the display of racism, violence, and social unrest that has escalated in our country over the past week. As student-athletes, coaches, and staff members of the Utah State Athletics family, we have the opportunity and the ability to be positive agents for change,” the Utah State athletic director said. “We are supportive of those who are saddened or frightened by these inequalities and we want to make sure that all members of our Aggie family know there are resources available to those who need or want them. We must continue working together to promote fairness, equality, and access for all people.”
— Utah State Athletics (@USUAthletics) June 2, 2020
Blackout Tuesday
Blackout Tuesday, a movement focused on amplifying the voices of people of color, began in the music industry with Atlantic Records and is spreading across all platforms of social media. Users are posting a black square to their profile, using #blackouttuesday. Organizers and creators are reminding people not to use #blacklivesmatter, as that hashtag is reserved to share information regarding the movement.
The death of George Floyd and the nationwide protests spurred the movement. Floyd was handcuffed and pinned to the ground by a Minnesota police officer. The officer – who has now been fired and arrested – held his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes on May 25, 2020. The officer involved has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
The movement was started by record executives Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agymang, according to Variety magazine. The movement was originally created using #TheShowMustBePause, but evolved into #blackouttuesday.
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“Tuesday, June 2 is meant to intentionally disrupt the work week,” they wrote, “The music industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. And industry that has profited predominantly from Black art. Our mission is to hold the industry at large, including major corporations + their partners who benefit from the efforts, struggles and successes of Black people accountable.”
NBC News contributor and activist, Brittany Packnett Cunningham, posted guidelines to follow for those participating. She guided black people to continue posting while non-black people are encouraged to “mute” but to continue sharing content from people of color.
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