Black people can declare themselves “unsafe in America,” thanks to a tool started by Black Lives Matter.
The week-long initiative allows black people to declare that they aren’t safe over social media because they are black, reports Mic.
The mark is a different take on Facebook’s safety check. Instead of declaring that they are safe, black people can use it to say they are unsafe because America is dangerous for black people, according to a BLM co-founder.
“Being Black in America is a national emergency. Black people are being attacked and murdered while doing day-to-day activities. This week, it’s important to let the world know how you feel, to come together, and resist. Log in to mark yourself unsafe or to show your support,” the website reads.
BLM said that the “unsafe check” will not replace Facebook’s safety check that allows people to mark themselves safe after a disaster or dangerous event.
“From slavery to Jim Crow to prejudicial and deadly policing, America has never been a safe place for black people,” BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors told Mic in a statement. “We need to take action to continue to raise awareness about how racism impacts our families and communities.”
People are offered two options; they can either declare “I’m unsafe” or “I’m not Black, but I support Black lives.” So far, 1,365 people have said that they are unsafe.
“We know that social media is only one way to take action on behalf of the Movement for Black Lives,” Cullors added to Mic. “After marking yourself unsafe, we ask that people take additional action by joining local organizers in demanding justice in the streets.”
Led by the Movement for Black Lives, the initiative is part of a week of activism to foil President-elect Donald Trump’s potential agenda. Other events include “mass mobilizations” and “Labor, gender justice, student and youth actions.”
“Just four days after MLK Day, we’ll witness the inauguration of a president who is the antithesis of everything Dr. King stood for; a demagogue who galvanized millions by spewing hate and promising to harm the most vulnerable in this nation,” organizers said.
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