Remember way back in 2020 when brands took to their social media pages and blacked out the profile image to show solidarity with Black Lives Matter?
Remember how companies promised to be more inclusive and diverse, to do better?
It seems like ages ago, but it was just a year ago, and it was en vogue to be all “Black lives matter.” Unfortunately, our collective attention span is short in America, and we’ve forgotten about it and moved on.
I thought the campaigns, which included pledges to be better, were dubious to begin with. Were these companies truly committed to the real work of change, would it last or was it just for show? You know, another way to for capitalism to capitalize.
Turns out much of it was performative. Who would’ve guessed?
As someone who works in Black media, I took a special interest in whether brands would put their money where there blacked-out profile was and if it would continue long term.
YouTube is one of the companies that pledged to work to “dismantle systemic racism” and support Black creatives and the Black community. In June 2020, YouTube’s CEO Susan Wojcicki announced a multiyear $100 million fund for “amplifying and developing the voices of Black creators and artists and their stories” on the brand’s official blog. YouTube also took steps to protect people from hate speech and harassment on its platform.
Sounds great, doesn’t it?
It does until you realize YouTube parent company Google made it difficult for advertisers to connect with YouTube videos that dealt with “Black Lives Matter” content.
“But an investigation by The Markup found that YouTube parent company Google blocks advertisers from using dozens of social and racial justice terms including Black Lives Matter, to find YouTube videos and channels upon which to advertise,” according to an article in The Markup, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates how businesses use technology to change society.
What’s interesting is Google didn’t block keywords such as “all lives matter” and “White lives matter.” Google Ads did block “Black power,” but it didn’t block “White power.” Other blocked keywords included “reparations,” “colonialism,” “antifascist,” “American Muslim” and “sex work.”
When contacted about this disparity, Google added even more words and phrases to the list: “Black excellence,” “LGBTQ,” “Say Their Names,” “antiracism,” “civil rights,” “Black is beautiful,” “believe Black women,” “abolish ICE,” “Black trans lives matter,” “I can’t breathe,” “queer,” “Muslimfashion.”
In addition to Google keeping ad dollars out of the pockets of Black people, a Vice Media Group analysis found “content related to the death of George Floyd and resulting protests was monetized at a rate of 57% lower than other news content.” A senior vice president at Vice went on to detail how a large entertainment company’s ad agency sent a list of blocked words that included “Black people” and “Black Lives Matter” but issued a statement of support for the Black Lives Matter movement that same week.
The duplicitousness isn’t surprising.
Advertisers want to steer clear of controversy. Making money for shareholders is what’s important for business not necessarily having a stance on an issue, but executives want to look like their business cares. It’s all marketing.
Basically, Black people and all things concerning Black people are controversial. As someone who works in Black media, this is disheartening and anger inducing. It’s maddening to know an article on an issue as important as decreasing maternal mortality for Black women and infant mortality for Black babies could be viewed as controversial because the word “Black” is used. How then do we disseminate important information to our community?
It’s a given in the Black Press that some might not like what you do, and you may not get ads because of it. However, you don’t expect to learn the biggest search engine in the country has a concerted effort to steer ad dollars away from Black media just because you use the word “Black,” and at the same time allowing for the use of actual racist phrases.
We continually have to fight an uphill battle just to survive, and so many times we’re not even aware of how much we’re up against.
Growing up I learned Black is beautiful. However, the society teaches you our very existence is controversial and offensive.
