As nationwide protests spurred by the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer continue, entertainment companies like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO are weighing in to voice their support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Kicked off on Saturday, May 30 — as protests were taking place across cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami — with a social media post from Netflix, other streaming services and cable networks quickly followed suit with their own statements. Netflix’s message was simple, saying, “To be silent is to be complicit. Black lives matter. We have a platform, and we have a duty to our Black members, employees, creators and talent to speak up.” Filmmaker Ava DuVernay applauded them with a tweet, writing simply, “Well done.”
To be silent is to be complicit.
Black lives matter.We have a platform, and we have a duty to our Black members, employees, creators and talent to speak up.
— Netflix (@netflix) May 30, 2020
Later in the day, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video posted their own messages of solidarity to their social media accounts. Starz perhaps took the furthest step of all the brands by mentioning both the NAACP and Color of Change in its statement, urging its followers to donate and show support to the two organizations. “We cannot stand silent while our Black communities continue to suffer under the weight of violence, discrimination, and injustice,” the Lionsgate-owned company wrote.
We support Black lives. Today, and every day. You are seen. You are heard. And we are with you.
— Hulu (@hulu) May 31, 2020
.@NAACP @ColorOfChange pic.twitter.com/R8v1XMjzlv
— STARZ (@STARZ) May 31, 2020
HBO, in addition to changing its Twitter display name to #BlackLivesMatter, joined the conversation later that evening with a James Baldwin quote and supportive words. “We stand with our Black colleagues, employees, fans, actors, storytellers — and all affected by senseless violence,” the WarnerMedia-owned company wrote in a tweet. HBO Max posted an identical message to their own social channels.
“Neither love nor terror makes one blind: indifference makes one blind.” — James Baldwin
We stand with our Black colleagues, employees, fans, actors, storytellers — and all affected by senseless violence. #BlackLivesMatter
— #BlackLivesMatter (@HBO) May 31, 2020
Comedy Central added support Sunday morning, with the ViacomCBS-owned cabled network posting a message endorsing the Black Lives Matter movement and calling for the end of systemic racism. “These racist and brutal attacks must end,” the network wrote. “We call for justice.”
#BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/9DceIFB8uU
— comedycentral (@ComedyCentral) May 31, 2020
And BET has been posting coverage in support of the protests all weekend, including sharing activist Tamika Mallory’s viral speech contextualizing looting as a form of protest and calling for criminal charges against police that kill black people.
#BlackLivesMatter! A speech that will go down in history! ❤️🙏🏽 || 🎥 @TamikaDMallory pic.twitter.com/519PWt4gxH
— BET (@BET) May 30, 2020