We’re halfway into the year 2016 and we’ve already experienced countless great moments on Black Twitter. From poignant, inventive hashtags to those that are Black Lives Matter and activism-based. Hashtags that are comical in nature, meant to give folks respite from the daily stresses we face in our personal lives. Hashtags that dismantle cultural appropriation and point out straight up inappropriateness. The latest in entertainment to breaking news and everything in between, even memes that make you burst out into laughter or simply shake your head. We’ve laughed and learned a lot in 2016. There’s been no shortage of viral goodness thanks to Black Twitter and its respective hashtag creators.
And you’ll find these shareable, headline-making moments on your Twitter timeline, of course, but also in print and online magazines, as well as on the news. Simply put, Black Twitter is everywhere. Its influence is wide and very important. Kind of makes you wonder what the rest of 2016 will bring. Here are 20 of the top Twitter moments so far this year.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEzYE5xDxif/
#LemonadeSyllabus
L.A. Rebellion filmmaker Julie Dash’s seminal work, Daughters of the Dust, is being reissued thanks to Beyoncé’s visual album, Lemonade. Another great thing to come from Queen Bey’s latest effort? The #LemonadeSyllabus hashtag, which encouraged the sharing of reading lists of books and other works penned by Black women and that celebrate Black womanhood.
#BlackOnCampus
This hashtag first appeared in 2015 to shine a light on the racism and discrimination Black students face at predominantly White institutions, as well as other issues like lack of diversity and White privilege. The hashtag is just as relevant today and continues to make waves in the Twittersphere and beyond.
https://twitter.com/monstta/status/703050179587379202
#TrapCover
Black Twitter had the sense and the wisdom to upgrade a bunch of pop songs in the key of trap after some, shall we say, bland covers of Beyoncé’s “Formation” and Rihanna’s “Work” started appearing online.
#RealBlackPeopleQuestions
Black Twitter was not happy when Buzzfeed dropped their 27 Questions Black People Have For Black People video. The response was overwhelming and spawned not one, but two hashtags: #RealBlackPeopleQuestions and #BuzzfeedVideoQuestions.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFdNGdUH3Ti/
#GradCaps
Black graduates paid homage to their respective journeys by posting their decorative and hilarious #GradCaps on Twitter, Instagram, and other forms of social media.
#Respeck
During an interview with The Breakfast Club, rap mogul Birdman went off on the show’s hosts, demanding that they put some “respeck” on his name. Twitterverse did the exact opposite.
#ObamaAndKids
President Obama photographed with adorable kids. Need we say more?
