There are always two sides to every story, even on social media. After disbelief erupted over the nonindictment of the cop responsible for killing Eric Garner, many took to Twitter to vent their anger. In the process, the hashtag #CrimingWhileWhite became a top trending topic. The hashtag included tweets from white people about their run-ins with law enforcement and getting off easy. It was a tale of white privilege that many of us already knew exists.
Soon after the tweets started trending, many felt that once again white privilege had reared its ugly head because white people were co-opting a tragedy. In response to #CrimingWhileWhite, the hashtag #AliveWhileBlack became popular on the social network. Created by Ebony.com’s Jamilah Lemieux, #AliveWhileBlack is a stark reminder of what black people face every day.
https://twitter.com/JamilahLemieux/status/540515291516907520https://twitter.com/amydbarnett/status/540521114590384129https://twitter.com/AkilahObviously/status/540520977860669441https://twitter.com/ProfessorBLove/status/540520446136156161
This last tweet pretty much sums up both hashtags and the reality of the world we live in.
https://twitter.com/dannysullivan/status/540526690040958977
Here’s a live look at the tweets coming from the hashtag: