Black Lives Matter has earned a solid momentum after the cold-blooded murder of George Floyd. Many companies have taken a clear stand by making immediate changes in their policies, but some of them have only given a half-hearted statement with no crux or genuineness to it. Amidst this, an unlikely ally has revealed itself.
Babynames.com has made a powerful but subtle statement by posting a list of black people who were either the victim of police brutality or lost their lives to another cause. Along with the names, they put a note saying, “Each one of these names was somebody’s baby.” At the end of the page, they’ve given a short and precise message: “Babynames.com stands in solidarity with the black community.#blacklivesmatter”
But do you see the impact of this brief stand? When major companies are exhibiting problematic behavior during this critical movement, a website that gives meanings and ideas for baby names is making such a bold and moving statement. It didn’t try to picture itself as an iconic brand or woke website, which is a problem that many white allies have. They try to make the movement all about themselves by preaching how supportive and good they are.
Soon after the website posted this message on its homepage, it went viral. The site was flooded with thousands of visitors.
Even Twitter account of this website urged people to support the cause of #BlackLivesMatter by donating.
The founder Jennifer Moss said on Twitter that “BabyNames.com is a family-owned [and] operated company. We take family very seriously. Our server is doing its best under the heavy load. THANK YOU so much for the mentions. We love you. <3”
In an email to Mashable, Moss said: “BabyNames.com is a family-owned and operated company and this issue is important to us. We had been trying to devise a statement in support of the BLM movement and when I saw the list of names on NPR I was heartbroken. We wanted to show they weren’t just names, they were somebody’s loved ones. The list is growing as people are sending in additions. We are grateful and humbled to have helped further the conversation about systemic racism and violence in this country.”
When the nation rots and the leaders simply whine and crab, people have to take control. This is exactly why the black community and anti-racist said it’s enough. They took over the streets to protest against violence against the black community. It’s truly a revolution coming in!