Guest commentary: Shed light on Black History with a social media movement
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In this guest commentary, Earl V. Campbell III, MD, Advanced Interventional Endoscopy Fellow and gastroenterologist at Yale School of Medicine, discusses his latest Instagram movement #blackhistoryloading in honor of Black History Month in February, which highlights current black professionals and those who contributed to their specialties before them. So far there have been 269 posts. This follows his movement from last year #fromthreefifthsaperson, which currently has 1,198 posts.
In 2019, I created the hashtag #fromthreefifthsaperson, which spread like wildfire. I also organized a group of black professionals to post on Instagram at the same time, and a lot of people loved it and joined in. When February came around this year, people were messaging me asking what we were doing this year, and I knew I wanted to create another hashtag. I came up with #blackhistoryloading.
Last year was about bringing to light how far we’ve come as a people across all professions. This year I wanted to take it a step further by also shining light on the people who came before us. That’s why we included a picture of ourselves in our current professions as well as a picture of someone who paved the way or was monumental in our respective fields. We also wanted to highlight how much black people have contributed to the progression and advancement of our areas of work. While we always hear about historical giants such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks and George Washington Carver, there are many other people who have contributed and made advancements in the black community that many people don’t know about. This hashtag was and is a way to spread the word about these other individuals. From doing the background research for our own posts, as well as reading each other’s’ posts, we learned more about Black History.
Starting a hashtag movement
The biggest lesson that I learned over the past few years with both these hashtags, is you have to be creative. Look online and see if anyone else is using that hashtag. You want something unique for your movement, one that is not being used for other things. Second, organize a solid group of people who you can launch the movement with. Create a template for the caption, the type of post you want, and the type of pictures you want everyone to use. Then, release the posts on the same date at the same time of day. People can then click on the hashtag and see all of the associated posts. After that, the movement just takes on a life of its own. I also make a point to try and engage with as many of the posts in the movement as well. It’s much easier to launch a movement with a solid group of reliable people, than it is on your own. Each person in your group has slightly different audiences, and by all of you posting the initial posts simultaneously, you reach a broader range of people. The larger your launching group is, the faster, your movement will pick up speed. Be specific about what you want and how you want to do it.
Source: Campbell
Keep the movement going
I will continue to highlight black history and black excellence moving forward, especially during the month of February. I’m sure I will put together additional campaigns in the future. I do not know what the hashtag will be next year or the year after, but I want to have creative, unique, hashtags that highlight different aspects of black excellence.
People are watching even when you don’t realize it and they are looking up to you. Social media brings you an opportunity to reach a wide range of people, a lot of whom are looking to be in the same field as you. It is important to highlight your journey, highlight what you are currently doing, and share amazing things that your colleagues and friends are currently doing. It helps to inspire the next generation — that’s the big thing. We’re showing where we are now and showing where we came from, but the most important part about highlighting these achievements, is inspiring the next generation.
Disclosure: Campbell reports no relevant financial disclosures.