The Black Ballot Episode 16: BLM And Twitter’s Influence [Video]

As we are one week away from the 2024 presidential election, NewsOne returns with Episode 16 of The Black Ballot, “BLM & The Twitter Megaphone,” exploring the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and the role of Twitter in modern activism.

Each episode of The Black Ballot dives into how U.S. presidents’ decisions have shaped African Americans’ lives, particularly regarding voting rights and social issues. Episode 16 examines how the murder of Trayvon Martin, followed by the rise of social media, reshaped racial activism and political discourse.

Trayvon Martin and the Birth of BLM

The killing of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman in 2012 deeply polarized the nation. This division mirrored the Rodney King and O.J. Simpson cases of the 1990s but was amplified by social media, especially Twitter. Tess Owen notes, “Twitter became a space for raw outrage and raw anger that wasn’t being filtered through media institutions.”The platform then, allowed open conversations about racism, sparking …