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#WomenBoycottTwitter is just another hashtag too late for women of color

The #WomenBoycottTwitter started a discussion, but women of color are asking: Where was this a few days ago? Or a few months ago?

Chelsea Candelario

on October 13, 2017

The #WomenBoycottTwitter started a discussion on Friday, but women of color are asking: Where was this a few days ago? Or a few months ago?

The boycott started after Rose McGowan was suspended from Twitter Thursday morning for posting a private phone number, which violated the company's term of service. This, in the rising wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, caused an uproar and many called for the women to boycott Twitter. A large number of users bashed the social media platform for banning someone trying to speak out about sexual abuse, when so many other nasty trolls are left to harass whomever they want.

However, many women, specifically women of color, have a history of dealing with Twitter injustices way before this incident.

Recently, SportsCenter host Jemele Hill was suspended from ESPN for criticizing the NFL and Donald Trump on Twitter. While actress Leslie Jones received abusive tweets back in July from racist trolls. Yet no one then discussed women boycotting Twitter.

Users highlighted the lack of support women of color received and the underlining issue being overlooked by others.

Dr. Eve Louise Ewing (@eveewing) pointed out how intersectional feminism can play a role in how a call to action differs for women of color and non-women of color.

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"Interesting thing about [intersectional] feminism: what's radical for one might be regressive for another," she tweeted. "In this case, silence. For women of color, maybe...that might work differently for us a strategy? Or, say, not work?"

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While many condemn what happened with Rose McGowan's Twitter suspension, others call for a boycott against the harassment and abuse women face on a regular basis.

Director Ava DuVernay and author Roxane Gay were among the few to address how the issue of race needs to be included in the discussion. DuVernay tweeted, "Calling white women allies to recognize conflict of #WomenBoycottTwitter for women of color who haven't received support on similar issues."

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Although Twitter has policies put in place to stop hate speech. There's still a long line of issues Twitter hasn't solved like online bullying and banning terrorist accounts.

So many women decided to create counter-hashtags #AmplifyWomen and #WOCAffirmation to empower all women to use their voice to discuss their own experiences, and to open the doors for women of color to sit at the discussion table.

While boycotting and silencing against an issue can work for some. Many have been oppressed for far too long and want to celebrate their voice.