Why #BLACKOUTDAY Was So Important

Representation is crucial to the layered dynamics of our society. As Shonda Rhimes said, it is important for people "to see their tribe." Rhimes has been instrumental in constructing a better picture of the world's people on television. And now, with Lee Daniels broadening the lens even more, we have a show like Empire, which for Black people, is a very big deal. Seeing so many shades and faces of color pouring their talents and struggles into the lives of over 14 million viewers every week speaks volumes to Black people. Its historic.
#BlackOutDay was also historic, as an online event that made a
space for Black people to celebrate that same tribe and scroll through thousands of its beautiful faces, like we had never been able to do before.
We've all been there. The moment calls for a Google image search, but the results yield nothing except irrelevant results. Tumblr user, profeminist, wrote about this very experience when searching for an image of "1960s Afros."

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Instead Google displayed pages of this:

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Understandably disappointed, profeminist wrote:

"Black reality, black history and black beauty are hidden from the media landscape that surrounds all of us. You can’t find black culture IN SEARCHES FOR BLACK CULTURE. #BlackOutDay is a movement to give visibility where it has been unjustly denied, and it’s a beautiful thing."

BougieBlackGurl on Twitter similarly took issue with the monochromatic representation that Google's search results have of "beautiful women."

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More recently, another historic moment for Black representation in media was the debut of Dreamworks' first Black character, Tip, voiced by Rihanna. In the 1990s, there was Disney's Pocahontas and Jasmine. While many were not Arabian or Native American, young girls of color clung to the images and stories of the first mocha and honey-colored princesses. 

Dreamworks' Home has many equally excited that Tip also has naturally curly hair. Actress, Teyonah Parris, of Dear White People, posted this photo of a small girl, beaming, standing next to the movie poster.

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Unfortunately, the full story is not as beam-worthy. Dreamworks seems to have taken the same marketing strategy with Home as did movies, 12 Years A Slave and Annie. They have strategically placed only non-Black characters on billboards in major cities, leaving the mention of Rihanna and Tip to urban neighborhoods, exclusively.
BlackGirlLongHair.com posed the question: "Why is DreamWorks Hiding Their First Black Main Character? It says to people of color that we can not sell big-budget films domestically or internationally, which everyday Black talents outshine that Hollywood-industry myth.
#BLACKOUTDAY puts the narrative back in the hands of people who directly experience marginalization. It provides an avenue for a parade of pride that marches to its own beat. It speaks beyond us and foreshadows what we are capable of accomplishing together.