On May 25th, following the tragic and unjust death of George Floyd, there was a resurgence in the Black Lives Matter movement; and with it, there also seemed to be a sudden rise in performative activism. Performative activism is described as, “a pejorative (disapproving) term referring to activism done to increase one’s social capital rather than because of one’s devotion to a cause.” This can also be viewed as “surface-level” activism. Typically, this type of activism is never followed with action, and because of that, it’s viewed as the worst type of activism.
This isn’t necessarily saying using your platform isn’t a good thing. The most powerful thing you do with your voice is use it to raise awareness about issues that you care about. However, posting a meaningless black square with the hashtag #BlackOutTuesday comes across as hollow and somewhat tone deaf. This action can be easily excused by saying that posting a black screen is “raising awareness,” but at the stage in the Black Lives Matter movement wherein every newsfeed is flooded with videos & pictures of protests, there’s no longer a need for awareness. There’s a need for action.
Celebrities and influencers have been the primary victims of performative activism. (Maybe not the primary victims per se, but their position in the limelight makes their contribution—or rather lack thereof—to the Black Lives Matter movement more obvious.) The main celebrity that comes to mind when discussing performative activism in Hollywood is Glee alum Lea Michele. After posting a tweet saying, “George Floyd did not deserve this. This was not an isolated incident and it must end. #BlackLivesMatter”, actress Samantha Marie Ware, who is black and previously worked with Michele on Glee, called her out for the racist remarks Michele previously made towards her. Ware recalled how Michele had directed many “traumatic microaggressions” at her, making “her first television gig a living hell.” This incident is the perfect example of performative activism; Michele attempted to gain brownie points from the public by tweeting a short (and rather basic) message with her support for George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter Movement all the while ignoring her own racist tendencies. While Michele has since issued an apology via Instagram, it was not well received as she apologized for how Ware (and other POC castmates) perceived her microaggressions rather than apologizing for how she acted.
There’s many ways to get involved with the Black Lives Matter movement and progress past performative activism. While it’s understandable that not everybody is in a financial position to donate to the movement, signing petitions and educating yourself require minimal effort and are basically free in this day and age. There are many websites that have been created that compiled many resources together, making educating yourself and others that much easier. Creative individuals have even created videos free that you can watch which generate ad revenue which then gets donated to various campaigns for the Black Lives Matter movement. Don’t let your activism stop with a black square. Be the change you want to see in the world.
