Emma Watson breaks her silence after getting slammed for tone deaf Black Lives Matter posts: I stand with you

Emma Watson broke her silence after facing backlash for her ‘tone-deaf’ Instagram post amid the Blackout Tuesday campaign in support of Black Lives Matter protests. On May 2, the 30-year-old actress took to social media and joined millions around the world by posting a black square. However, she was slammed by people who accused her of prioritising her Instagram aesthetic over showing support by adding white borders around the black boxes. The Harry Potter actress later shared a heartfelt post telling her 57.2 million followers that she would use her platform to fight against racism.

At midnight on May 2, the actress uploaded an artwork, by her friend Dr. Fahamu, titled “White Lies, Subtleties, Micro-Aggressions, and Other Choking Hazards.” In the caption she wrote, “I was holding off posting until #blackouttuesday ended in the UK.” She then shared a poem called Broken Open from Black Matter Lives, written by the same artist. She further shared her own thoughts about how she is planning on joining the battle against racism.

Check out the posts: 

#blackouttuesday #theshowmustbepaused #amplifymelanatedvoices #amplifyblackvoices

I was holding off posting until #blackouttuesday ended in the UK.⁣ ⁣ The Artwork of my brilliant dear friend @fahamupecou “White Lies, Subtleties, Micro-Aggressions, and Other Choking Hazards”⁣ ⁣ B R O K E N O P E N (poem + text from the series BLACK MATTER LIVES) by Dr Fahamu Pecou⁣ ⁣ broken⁣ broke and hoping⁣ broke in, hoping⁣ broke.⁣ end.⁣ hoping...⁣ bro! kin hopin’!⁣ broken...⁣ hopin.⁣ broken.⁣ open.⁣ broken open!⁣ (Break)⁣ ⁣ “We can not be broken. We do not break. For too long we’ve been afraid that their violence would end us. But we are still here. Some they took, but they’ve all come back. They never truly left. We never truly leave. Like the police and other systems they’ve weaponized against us, the names of those they tried to silence go off in their ears like nuclear bombs. Names that swell in their throats and linger until they can no longer breathe. So let us haunt their dreams and their waking moments alike. Say their names: Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. George Floyd. Let them see us. Let them hear us. No friends, we have nothing to fear. An army of Egungun warriors walk amongst us. They have tried, and for centuries they have failed to violate us... to silence us. This is not breaking. This is opening. The cracks are windows. The holes are doors. Shine your light through.” - Dr. Fahamu Pecou⁣ ⁣ Say their names #AhmaudArbery #BreonnaTaylor #GeorgeFloyd

I stand with you.

“There is so much racism, both in our past and present, that is not acknowledged nor accounted for. White supremacy is one of the systems of hierarchy and dominance, of exploitation and oppression, that is tightly stitched into society. As a white person, I have benefited from this. Whilst we might feel that, as individuals, we’re working hard internally to be anti-racist, we need to work harder externally to actively take the structural and institutional racism around us,” she wrote.

Watson further mentioned that she would be using her social media account to raise her voice against racism and will share links to useful resources. “I’m still learning about the many ways I unconsciously support and uphold a system that is structurally racist. Over the coming days, I’ll be using my bio link and Twitter to share links to resources I’ve found useful for my own researching, learning, listening… I see your anger, sadness and pain. I cannot know what this feels like for you but it doesn’t mean I would try to,' she concluded her post.

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