How the NAACP protests in the digital age
The NAACP is sitting in at Sen. Jeff Sessions' Mobile, Alabama, office until he pulls out as nominee for Donald Trump's attorney general. And they're showing off their peaceful protest on Facebook Live.
As NAACP president and CEO Cornell Brooks tweeted Tuesday, the protesters are "occupying" his office until he withdraws or until the group is arrested.
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The civil rights group's Facebook Lives are not the most riveting material on the internet, but these are significant moments with civil rights activists mixing in a digital tactic with more traditional resistance methods.
The Facebook Live streams are part of a statewide protest Tuesday of Sessions' attorney general nomination. Sessions' political career has been followed by allegations of racism and plenty of racist and offensive comments. His nomination in November was even lauded by a Klu Klux Klan leader.
NAACP Alabama president Benard Simelton highlighted Sessions' blemishes in a statement last week. "He’s been a threat to desegregation and the Voting Rights Act and remains a threat to all of our civil rights, including the right to live without the fear of police brutality.”
In another Live video, an NAACP representative speaks on the phone and brings up the Voting Rights Act and voter suppression. He also mentions Sessions' voting record and racist comments.
This isn't the first time political protesters have used Facebook Live to bolster their cause. In June, House Democrats livestreamed a 25-hour sit-in in Congress over Periscope and Facebook Live, capturing the attention of the nation as they called for greater gun control.
Topics Activism Facebook Social Media
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
