Black Lives Matter: The Emotional and Racial Dynamics of the George Floyd Protest Graffiti

Cappelli, Mary Louisa

doi:10.4236/aasoci.2020.109020

Cited by 19 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 37 publications

(32 reference statements)

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“…This study’s scope was restricted to BLM protests in Washington, DC. However, this limited sample may offer some generalizable considerations as the images are similar to those in other BLM protests (Taylor, 2020) and our findings parallel other similar studies (Cappelli, 2020; Casas & Williams, 2019). We did not have an opportunity to engage with those who created and affixed signage to the fence to learn motivations for creation or display.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…The second phase, ascertaining explicit and implicit emotions, employed deductive coding (preassigned based on theory) to situate the findings within Jasper’s (2011) theory of moral batteries. Similar to both Casas and Williams (2019) and Cappelli (2020), we inferred emotions (e.g., resistance pertained to anger; grief pertained to pity [sadness]).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similar to graffiti, the messages offered social critique in public spaces. Cappelli’s (2020) analysis of George Floyd protest graffiti in Los Angeles, CA identified themes of anarchy and rage (“aggressive and belligerent” [p. 331]), pity and fear (“sorrow and compassion” [p. 336]), as well as catharsis (“hope and possibilities of racial justice” [p. 339]). She concluded that the graffiti in this context combined political and emotional motivations to advance racial and social justice.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Black Lives Matter protest art: Uncovering explicit and implicit emotions through thematic analysis.

Vance¹,

Potash²

2022

Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology

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Following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, activists who support Black Lives Matter in Washington, DC began affixing protest art and signs to a fence erected at the White House. Uniting models of activist emotions with psychological theories can indicate how activists' expressions offer opportunities for honoring how current sentiments promote balance and enact transformation. A qualitative thematic analysis of the 638 phrases and 110 images revealed high frequencies of anger, which includes conveying social justice messages, and pride, such as showcasing identity. Grief was the second lowest documented emotion but was composed of the highest number of cataloged images (memorializing). The results indicate that protester's emotional expressions comprise both explicit messages and complex feelings, which require dedicated spaces for the expression of more vulnerable emotions. Public Significance StatementThe study suggests that Black Lives Matter protest messages in Washington, DC reveal explicit expressions of anger and pride but that the protest art reflects grief. Mental health therapists and community advocates can address these different emotions in either public or private support spaces.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Black Lives Matter protest art: Uncovering explicit and implicit emotions through thematic analysis.

Vance¹,

Potash²

2022

Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology

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“…Although Till died at a much younger age (14) than Floyd (46), the widespread distribution of video plainly showing nearly eight minutes of police brutality against Floyd resulted in widespread consternation. Social media became a key outlet for outrage and horror as memorials to Floyd sprang up nationwide (Cappelli 2020;Mchunu 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exceptional Injustice: Facebook as a Reflection of Race- and Gender-Based Narratives Following the Death of George Floyd

Dixon

Dundes

2020

Social Sciences

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Following the death of George Floyd, Facebook posts about the Black Lives Matter movement (BLM) surged, creating the opportunity to examine reactions by race and sex. This study employed a two-part mixed methods approach beginning with an analysis of posts from a single college student’s Facebook newsfeed over a 12-week period, commencing on the date of George Floyd’s death (25 May 2020). A triangulation protocol enhanced exploratory observational–archival Facebook posts with qualitative data from 24 Black and White college students queried about their views of BLM and policing. The Facebook data revealed that White males, who were the least active in posting about BLM, were most likely to criticize BLM protests. They also believed incidents of police brutality were exceptions that tainted an otherwise commendable profession. In contrast, Black individuals commonly saw the case of George Floyd as consistent with a longstanding pattern of injustice that takes an emotional toll, and as an egregious exemplification of racism that calls for indictment of the status quo. The exploratory data in this article also illustrate how even for a cause célèbre, attention on Facebook ebbs over time. This phenomenon obscures the urgency of effecting change, especially for persons whose understanding of racism is influenced by its coverage on social media. The need to recognize the divergence of views—how they vary by sex and race and their connection to social media—remains critical for progress in determining the best steps forward in race relations and police reform.

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“…The renaissance of Nigerians' anguish against the Nigerian Police Force, particularly SARS maybe a response and experience gathered from the global social movement against police brutality from the kneeling to death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America (Cappelli, 2020;Derrick, 2020). George Floyd's death and subsequent protests exposed the insensitivity of some law enforcement Officers not just in the US, but across the globe.…”

Section: The 2020 #Endsars Protests and 2021 #Endsarsmemorial Protests In Nigeriamentioning

confidence: 99%

‘We Will Never Forget’: Thematic Analysis of Digital Media Contents during the 2021 #EndSARSMemorial protests in Nigeria

Uwalaka¹

2021

SMC

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The thrust of the study was to appraise the influence of social media in contentious politics and solidarity building by interrogating themes from tweets and posts of digital activists during the 2021 #EndSARSMemorial protests in Nigeria. The content analysis of digital media posts and tweets (N=24,688) show that social media platforms were used as a vehicle for provoking solidarity contagion that ignited a memorial for fallen activists in Nigeria. Findings further demonstrate that protesters used social media platforms to reveal how vexed, and anguished they were as well as imprecating the authorities. Data reveal that there is a substantial relationship between celebrity posts and tweets and positive hedonic experiential valence about the 2021 #EndSARSMemorial protests. Finally, this study explicates and contributes to the theorisation of the affective theory.

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Black Lives Matter: The Emotional and Racial Dynamics of the George Floyd Protest Graffiti

Cited by 19 publications

References 37 publications

Black Lives Matter protest art: Uncovering explicit and implicit emotions through thematic analysis.

Black Lives Matter protest art: Uncovering explicit and implicit emotions through thematic analysis.

Exceptional Injustice: Facebook as a Reflection of Race- and Gender-Based Narratives Following the Death of George Floyd

‘We Will Never Forget’: Thematic Analysis of Digital Media Contents during the 2021 #EndSARSMemorial protests in Nigeria

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