Today May 30, 2022, is my Twitter Anniversary and is also Memorial Day celebrating our service members' past, present, and future. First, let me say thank you for your services and thank you for answering the call. What should be a highlight for me and the people/organizations that I have built with reflecting and celebrating with me will not be. Why you may ask? It has to do with controlling and censoring accounts like mine.
So let me take on a small journey and tell you how we got here? Let's be honest after the 2016 Elections I was over social media, the only time I would post was only Facebook (Meta), and would only post or comment on Happy Birthday posts or milestones for family and friends alike. Going through life like everyone and being in a bubble not because I felt superior to anyone, but because I felt no one wanted to hear my voice or what my point of view was. Being a Black Woman with a speech impediment adding that with the Caribbean and American cultures I was not willing to put myself out there not out of fear, but because of past experiences that reminded me I did not belong or was not welcomed. Flashforward to 2020, a new year rolled around and still not moved.
Suddenly we heard the news of passengers dying in a helicopter crash which included the basketball legend Kobe Bryant, 13-year-old daughter Gianna "GiGi" Bryant, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Christina Mauser, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester, and the pilot Ara Zobayan as they were traveling to Kobe Bryants Mamba Sports Academy. Then we heard of Covid-19 still not knowing what this virus back then could and would eventually do. 2020, was just about to give us more devastating heartbreaks in the months to follow. The world literally went shut down, I completed the semester online. Still, I was focused on completing the semester on time, and being safe which meant social distancing and wearing my mask.
Then May 2020, rolled around stories of unarmed Black People were flashing on my tv and phone screens. I always knew when interacting with authorities as a Black person it can literally mean life or death. Regardless of the situation, my mother always told me "stay alive." The video of Ahmauad Arbery being hunted down was literally a modern-day lynching, the only difference was it was recorded, then the story of Breonna Taylor was slowly coming to the forefront of what happened on March 13, 2020. Then another tape was released that of George Floyd for 8:46 seconds the world literally had to stop and there was no turning back. For me out of the three stories, Breonna Taylor's story stood out to me, not because I had never heard of the murder of a Black Woman before we heard stories of Sandra Bland, Pamela Turner, Korryn Gaines, and Atatiana Jefferson, but because her (Breonna Taylor) murder was literally not reported by the police officers who swore to protect and serve. The Courier-Journal reported that Breonna Talyor's initial report was blank.
I still to this day don't know why Breonna Taylor's story pulled me, but I knew I could no longer allow my fear and past experiences to hinder me. I knew if I did not say anything it would bother me, she needed me. I was having a conversation with my mother and she said "you have a keen eye for this case, why not post it on Twitter," I said "Twitter?!"
she said, "yes try it for at least six months and if you don't like it then at least you said your peace." So I began my Twitter journey my first post was about Breonna Taylor's murder and the love Breonna Taylor and Kenneth Walker had for each other.
I then found similar stories to Breonna Taylor and other Black Women, Black children, Black LGBTQ+, and Black Men, (Black People) being harmed, or killed by the hands of authorities, or someone close to them such as a partner, family member, or friend, etc. I know my content can be highly sensitive and triggering for many people so I take no offense, when persons unfollowed or block me, I understand not everyone can handle that type of content or commentary every day. So I decided to extend my commentary to include politics, pop culture, and everything in between.
I was engaging with like-minded people, and I felt like I belonged. I found myself in the #KHive founded by Black Women Bianca and LaKeisha the CEO/Founder and COO who had this network of everyone who had voices of one objective stopping the misinformation, and disinformation of then Presidental Candidatdate now Vice President Kamala Harris. I met a lot of incredible accounts along the way forgive me if I forget to mention you: KHiveQueenB, LaKeishaChest23, BlackWomenViewsMedia, Chantay Berry, Sydney A, Maya Contreras, Lee89, Ms. Juile, Dawn, MsSrelle86, StickQondi, DianeReid123, 2rawtooreal, WonderKing, FlywithKamala, BadFaith, DrewComments, NotCaptainAmerica, Dr.Chronology, Ms.Virgo, ChanceDaArtist, PrettyGalWhitney, ElleLettMDPhD, Jamarne McGill to name a few. Other persons, and entities we would offer support of the Democratic Party, former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic Candidate 6 Hillary Clinton, the Black Congressional Caucus, Representative Maxine Waters, Representative Jim Clyburn the Majority Whip, and Representatives Lauren Underwood and Shontel Brown to name a few. I began to do my own segment on upcoming/rising Black politicians within the Democratic party who needed that extra support. I in no way knew exactly what I was doing but regardless of the result, the objective was clear candidates who had the experience, the passion, and who wanted to move the country forward.
While my account may be less than 500 followers I had high-profile accounts following me from Missy Elliott, KeKe Palmer, Sheryl Underwood, Taye Diggs, to Representative Elanor Norton, Emmy Reporter Winner Shomari Stone, to Current/Former Candidates Natalie James, Mia McLeod, Brittany Oliver, Kendall Kani Martinez Wright, Vangie Williams, Tameika Isaac Devine, Shameka Parrish Wright to name a few. Last year my sister suggested I expand my reach over on Instagram, I thought why not. Even though I would post on IG, I would link my posts from IG to Twitter ensuring my people knew that I wasn't leaving but adding to the platform.
Then the announcement of Elon Musk buying Twitter for $43-$44 billion sent shockwaves throughout Twitterverse, my account like many accounts pointed out the obvious it was a ploy to bring back the now 2x impeached (Article I Abuse of Power, Article II: Obstruction of Power (2019) (Article I: Incitement of Insurrection (2021)) 1 term 45 back to continue "the big lie" chaos, misinformation, disinformation, chaos, toxicity, etc. during the Mid-Term Elections of 2022. I began to see The Writings on the Wall like Destiny's Chirrens (Yes I said it, I will always acknowledge the 5 Queens that made my childhood fun.) so I began to revamp my FanBase.app page and YouTube pages, in addition to adding this blog, and entering into other social media platforms from Tumblr, Reddit, and Pinterest.
This brings me to the current events that occurred from May 14, 2022- May 17, 2022. On May 14, 2022, in Buffalo, New York the alleged suspect #DomesticTerrorist #WhiteSupermacist Payton Gendron went into Tops Grocery streamed the #BuffaloMassacre on Twitch, and unleased a lifetime of pain and trauma within a community that claimed the lives of 10 Black People Katherine Massey, Pearly YoungRuth Whitfield, Roberta A. Drury, Heyward Patterson, Andre Mackneil, Celestine Chaney, Geraldine Chapan Talley, Margus D. Morrison, and Aaron Salter. While injuring three more individuals Zaire Goodman, Jennifer Warrington, and Christopher Braden of which the latter two are White.
#ContentMatters #ContentCensorship #WordsMatter #MisInformation #DisInformation #HowManyMore #Buffalo #Uvalde #NeverForget #HappyAnniversary #2ndTwitterAnniversary
Sources
https://www.npr.org/2022/05/15/1099031765/buffalo-shooting-victims
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/timeline-coronavirus-started/story?id=69435165
https://www.yahoo.com/video/candace-owens-spreads-fake-news-182913671.html
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/01/07/us/elections/electoral-college-biden-objectors.html
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/majority-of-house-members-vote-for-2nd-impeachment-of-trump
https://time.com/5928988/donald-trump-impeached-second-time/
https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/18/politics/house-impeachment-vote/index.html
https://www.reuters.com/technology/elon-musk-buy-twitter-44-billion-2022-04-25/
https://www.instagram.com/queenvlion/
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