Bet you didn't know this
/
but, but … that’s waaassisst!
Organization says sharing Oprah memes is a form of “digital blackface” and must stop, right now1
Non-black people should not spread Oprah Winfrey memes from the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle interview — because that’s supporting “digital blackface,” a non-profit organization is complaining.
The Slow Factory Foundation, which is dedicated to social and environmental justice, issued the warning on its Instagram page Tuesday, saying “digital blackface” is an “online phenomenon” where white and non-black people share images of black people to express emotion.
Oprah Winfrey’s variety of facial reactions during the interview have resulted in a slew of viral memes.
“While seemingly harmless, the problem with digital blackface is that it often reinforces negative stereotypes about Black folks such as they’re aggressive, loud, sassy and simply here for your consumption and entertainment,” the post reads.
The organization added, “Performing Blackness, be it IRL or online, is not an acceptable form of expressing reaction or dissatisfaction, especially not in exchange for likes and retweets.”
And sure enough …
Some people on social media praised the organization for raising awareness of “digital blackface.”
“Thank you for explaining this so clearly. Very helpful,” one Instagram user wrote.
“Thank you so much for this – this is something I hadn’t realized and I’m definitely going to be way more thoughtful about the gifs I choose and why,” another user wrote.
