Twitter announces #TakeUpSpace Hashtag for Black History Month
Each February on Twitter, we see some of the best and brightest voices on our service step up for #BlackHistoryMonth. This content and these conversations are part of Black History Month celebrations that happen in Canada, the United States and many other countries.
Twitter’s Black History Month hashtag for 2022 is #TakeUpSpace, inspired by a growth mindset through psychological safety because it reminds us that we matter. If our programming, events, activations, and partnerships are the message, #TakeUpSpace is the signature that gives permission to belong and thrive as we are. Taking up space isn’t about being the center of attention, it’s about speaking up for what we believe in, knowing our worth, building our table and bringing chairs for our community by simply letting our presence be felt.
Our team worked with artists Juliette Mothe and Williams Chechet to showcase sketches that reflect on what loving oneself, finding one’s voice and taking up space means to them visually. For the month of February, Tweeting the #TakeUpSpace hashtag will unlock a custom Black History Month Twitter emoji and add some colour to your Tweets on desktop and mobile.
New for 2022, we also have a series of Twitter Spaces live audio conversations that’ll feature a mix of important voices from communities in Canada and beyond. This includes a Space about natural hair and beauty (Tuesday, February 15th at 3pm ET) featuring Nancy Falaise, a Montreal-based hairdresser, stylist and curly hair expert.
There’s also a Space about cancel culture (Thursday, February 17th at 4pm ET), hosted by podcaster and TransLash Media founder Imara Jones. And to close out the month, we’ll have a conversation about diversity in hockey (Wednesday, February 23rd at 12:30pm ET) featuring Hockey Diversity Alliance co-founder Akim Aliu and Sportsnet’s Donnovan Bennett.
As the global co-chair of Twitter Blackbirds, our business resource group for Black employees and allies at Twitter, I recognize that these and other efforts for Black History Month are part of a larger cultural conversation that happens year-round, seven days a week. We hope that Canadians in our industry are able to experience these and other events this February, and be part of other conversations taking place this February and beyond.
By Lade Ogunsanya - Curation Desk Lead, Twitter + Global Co-Chair, Twitter Blackbirds