Celebs Are Showing Their Support For Jemele Hill On Social Media
Social media users are standing with Jemele Hill.
On Sunday, Hill tweeted in response to team owner Jerry Jones’ threat to bench Cowboys players who didn’t stand for the national anthem. She discussed the influence fans could have if they boycotted advertisers.
This play always work. Change happens when advertisers are impacted. If you feel strongly about JJ's statement, boycott his advertisers. https://t.co/LFXJ9YQe74
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) October 9, 2017
Just so we're clear: I'm not advocating a NFL boycott. But an unfair burden has been put on players in Dallas & Miami w/ anthem directives.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) October 9, 2017
Though the journalist didn’t explicitly call for a boycott, ESPN announced Monday that it was suspending the “SportsCenter” anchor for two weeks following “a second violation of our social media guidelines.”
ESPN's Statement on Jemele Hill: pic.twitter.com/JkVoBVz7lv
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) October 9, 2017
But amid backlash from her employer, internet trolls and the president of the United States, who blamed Hill for ESPN’s “tanked” ratings, Hill isn’t standing alone.
Folks on Twitter shared their support for the anchor by resurfacing #IStandWithJemele and #IStandWithJemeleHill, hashtags used when Hill received backlash for calling Trump a “white supremacist.”
Celebrities and influencers including Ava DuVernay, Gina Prince-Bythewood and Common spoke out for Hill using the hashtags.
This. #IStandWithJemele https://t.co/3fPB0AYoci
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) October 9, 2017
read @jemelehill tweets. still confused as to why they are grounds for suspension. where's the lie? #iStandwithJemele #IStandWithKap #noNFL
— Gina PrinceBythewood (@GPBmadeit) October 9, 2017
*@espn blinked in this fight. Why are most Rich & Powerful white men, so intimidated by capable Black Women? Smh.. #IStandWithJemeleHill
— Tichina Arnold (@TichinaArnold) October 10, 2017
#IStandWithJemele + all Black Women calling out racism + White Supremacy in this country.
— COMMON (@common) October 10, 2017
We see you, @jemelehill! We see you and we lift you and your truth aka #TheTruth. You will not be erased. #IStandWithJemele
— Anika Noni Rose (@AnikaNoniRose) October 9, 2017
Too Black, too strong, too smart, too sure of herself. They wanted to "put her in her place". We know how this works.#IStandWithJemele
— J.I.M.B.R.O.W.S.K.I. (@PeaceAndCheese) October 9, 2017
Soooo who is going to suspend @realDonaldTrump for his impulsive tweets since they are much more inaccurate and cause way more harm than anything @jemelehill has ever said. #IStandWithJemele https://t.co/OAl54EZtHm
— Myles Warden (@DJMighty) October 9, 2017
#iStandwithJemele There's nothing more gratifying to white America than to tell a black woman to stop talking.
— Rebecca Carroll (@rebel19) October 9, 2017
Jemele Hill did four things "wrong":
1. Be Black
2. Be Female
3. Be Visible
4. Be Right
That's my type of "wrong". #IStandWithJemeleHill— srburris (@srburris) October 10, 2017
Activism group Color of Change and others are urging people to call and tweet ESPN to show that they’re behind the journalist.
Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.
You can get @jemelehill's back. Call @ESPN right now and demand they reinstate her.https://t.co/3mvaC1uhn9 pic.twitter.com/dqBycEwVym
— ColorOfChange.org (@ColorOfChange) October 10, 2017
The group’s executive director, Rashad Robinson, sent HuffPost a statement condemning ESPN’s decision as a “flagrant suppression of Black voices in sports.”
“ESPN is happy to stand with enablers of racism and sexism, but dare speak out against these issues and you’re in trouble. They seek to champion Black athletes, activists, and hosts until billionaires like Jerry Jones threaten their revenue streams,” the statement read. “The company’s new social media guidelines were not created until Black employees and athletes began to prominently speak out against our country’s racial injustices. By choosing to ban its reporters’ opinions, ESPN is making an explicitly political decision to side with the Trump administration on the wrong side of history.”
Also on HuffPost
Bullying
Cyberbullying
Stock Answer To 'What Are You?'
Real Answer To 'What Are You?'
A Friend To Confide In
If You Can't Speak, Write
Let Your Identity Be An Open Question
Embrace The Chameleon
Don't Be Afraid To Abandon The Labels Altogether
Get Involved In Life
Be Proud Of Who You Are
Have A Ready Defense Against The Identity Police
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.