This year, Gen Z and Millennials enrolled in a different kind of summer school—The School of Unlearning. Following the death of George Floyd, they took to the streets and their social feeds to protest racial injustice in America. They wanted their voices heard, and their actions to speak louder, so they purchased from Black-owned brands, distributed and signed petitions, donated to organizations, called government officials, and had hard conversations with family and friends.
As we mark the three month anniversary of George Floyd’s death, the social chatter around the Black Lives Matter movement has declined by 75% in July1 and fewer protestors remain on the streets, but the revolution continues at home. Gen Z and Millennials are doubling down to confront racial injustice and activating their secret weapon: self-education. Since late May 2020, there have been 6M social posts attributed to the sentiment of “educate yourself” and “educating myself” on race-related issues, indicating a 6,421% increase since 2019.2 From Rosewood to Tulsa, from systemic racism to microaggressions, Gen Z and Millennials are arming themselves with education to fight against racial inequity.
For Gen Z and Millennials, this moment in the fight for racial justice is different—72% think we are at a turning point in American history.3 Since the death of George Floyd, the #BLM conversation increased by 9,210% compared to the year prior, reaching 135M mentions across social media with 13-24-year-olds over-indexing in this online chatter.1 For Gen Z and Millennials, Black Lives Matter is a lifetime revolution which requires innovation when organizing—63% of 18-37-year-olds agree that the BLM movement is NOT a trend that will go away.3
MORE THAN A TREND, A LIFETIME ENROLLMENT
As the pandemic slowed the world down, it allowed space to pay attention to racial injustice in a deeper way, propelling many from quarantining at home to protesting on the streets. In fact, 71% of 18-37-year-olds agree the crises of 2020 have contributed to people taking more action when it comes to race-related issues.3 This unwavering focus has led to a positive awakening in the country with 85% of Gen Z and Millennials feeling that Americans are experiencing an awakening when it comes to racial inequity.3
WELCOME TO THE SCHOOL OF UNLEARNING: AN INTRO TO HOW BLM GREW FROM A SOCIAL MOVEMENT INTO AN EDUCATION MOVEMENT
WHY THIS? WHY NOW?
CULTURE HOT TAKESF U L L S C R E E N
1 Netbase BLM Social Listening (June vs. July 2020) | 2 Netbase BLM + Self-education Social Listening (2019 vs. 2020) | 3 Fullscreen TBH BLM Survey (N=530, 18-37-year-olds, July 2020)
83%agree they are responsible for educating themselves when it comes to race-related issues, a statement that is true across all races & ethnicities
Black 86% • Asian 84% • White 82% • Hispanic 81% 3
OF UNLEARNING WHEN IT COMES TO RACE-RELATED ISSUES3
75%of 18-37-year-olds agree that
America needs to revise its history textbooks to accurately portray the past of African Americans
44% of 18-37-year-olds do not think the portrayal of African American history
taught in school is accurate
BLACK HISTORY, MORE THAN A MONTH
Black Americans agree the most with this statement (64%), followed by Hispanics (51%), whites (38%), and Asians (36%)3
with an overwhelming majority of Black Americans (90%) agreeing, followed by Hispanics (83%), Asians (78%), and whites (68%)3
THE PROCESS OF LEARNING & UNLEARNINGPERSONALIZED CURRICULUMS
76%of 18-37-year-olds agree learning about the past struggles of the Black community is emotionally taxing but necessary3
The social conversation around “unlearning” saw a
+185% increase in volume of
mentions following the death of George Floyd in May 20205
2
Education and voting are the only “essential” actions that appear in the top three across all demos with donations falling at the bottom of the list.3
TOP ESSENTIAL ACTIONS IN THE FIGHT FOR RACIAL JUSTICE ACROSS DEMOS3
This year has opened up the hearts, ears, and mouths of non-Black Gen Z and Millennials. On average, 61% of whites, Hispanics, and Asians agree their perspective on race has changed in 2020.3 These demographics are stepping out of their comfort zone and embracing tough conversations about race in America. Talking to friends and family is the #1 action white, Hispanic, and Asian 18-37-year-olds are taking to address topics of race.3
For them, silence is not an option. In fact, #BLM social posts with the sentiment of “silence” as a form of “violence” or “betrayal” reached a total of 285K mentions in the month of June.4 They are acknowledging that being uncomfortable is a source of growth—68% agree that they are learning to be comfortable having uncomfortable conversations.3
Books addressing race in the U.S. have flooded the New York Times bestseller list from mid-June to August.6
BOOKS PODCASTS FILMS & TV
Podcasts like NPR’s “Code Switch” which tackles “fearless conversations about race” have reached number one on Apple iTunes for the first time ever with many other race-related audio titles gaining new listeners.9
Major streaming services have released designated BLM libraries of movies, shows, and documentaries to watch, with Netflix adding seven iconic Black-starred sitcoms to its lineup between August and October 2020.11
Black-owned independent bookstores have been dealing with overwhelming demand. Yelp’s Economic Average Report shows Black-owned bookstores have seen a 1,400% increase in searches versus 2019.8
The New York Times’ “1619 Project,” an award-winning podcast released in 2019 that revisits the legacy of slavery in America, has been listened to by many more audiences in 2020. In July, Oprah and Lionsgate announced they will be bringing the series to TV and film screens.10
Studios like Warner Bros and Paramount made their award-winning films “Just Mercy” and “Selma” free to rent as a form of systemic racism education.12 Netflix also released its latest Dave Chappelle special, “8:46” for free on YouTube.11
3 Fullscreen TBH BLM Survey (N=530, 18-37-year-olds, July 2020) | 6 New York Times Bestseller List (June-August 2020) | 7 NPD BookScan Report (May 2020) | 8 Q2 2020 Yelp Economic Average Report (2019-2020) | 9 NPR, "Why Now, White People?" (June 2020) | 10 Variety, “Oprah Winfrey and Lionsgate to bring ‘1619 Project’ to Film and TV” (July 2020) | 11 Netflix Press Release Archive (June-July 2020) | 12 Entertainment Online, “'Selma,' 'Just Mercy' Available for Free Rental” (June 2020)
SOCIAL IS THE SOURCE
FULLSCREEN CULTURE HOT TAKES // WELCOME TO THE SCHOOL OF UNLEARNING: An Intro to How BLM Grew From a Social Movement into an Education Movement
Gen Z and Millennials are educating themselves when it comes to race-related issues. Systemic racism, African American history, and the Juneteenth holiday top their collective list of subjects they are learning about.3
WHAT’S ON THE SYLLABUS?
TOP NEW SUBJECTS GEN Z & MILLENNIALS ARE LEARNING ABOUT WITH REGARDS TO RACE-RELATED ISSUES IN 20203
RANK BLACK WHITE HISPANIC ASIAN
#1 Systemic racism African American history Juneteenth holiday Systemic racism
#2 African American history Racial bias Racial bias Juneteenth holiday
#3 Juneteenth holiday Systemic racism African American history Racial bias
#4 White privilege Juneteenth holiday White privilege White privilege
#5 Racial bias White privilege Systemic racism Voter suppression
WHAT’S IN THEIR SCHOOL BAG?
Industry tracker NPD BookScan reports that political science civil rights titles saw a sales jump of 330% in May of 2020, while books about discrimination had a sales jump of 245%.7
18-37-year-olds think "social influencers" are the
#1public entity effectively addressing race-related issues at the moment3
"Social media" is the
#1source where 18-37-year-olds go to learn new things on
The majority of Gen Z and Millennials (72%) expect significant change to come out of the current movement and so far, it’s underway.3 The police officer responsible for the death of George Floyd was fired, arrested, and charged. Police chokeholds have been banned in major cities across the globe. Policies such as the CAREN Act have been implemented in states like California, making it illegal to make racially biased calls to 911. In New York, legislation was passed to repeal 50-A, which in the past allowed law enforcement to shield police misconduct. And this is just the beginning.
The national call-to-action for the Black Lives Matter movement is losing steam and terms like “racial battle fatigue” are starting to surface on our feeds. It is important for allies and supporters to unburden the dedicated Black activists who remain on the streets calling for justice for Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbery, and other innocent Black Americans, by not only showing up with them but continuing to self-educate.
Gen Z and Millennials will continue to educate themselves while taking action to demand anti-racist education in their classrooms, workspaces, and communal spaces in order to elevate the collective awareness of the systemic racism that still perpetuates. #DiversifyOurNarrative is a campaign founded in June of 2020 by two Stanford University students with the mission to push for curriculum reform in America. So far the initiative has mobilized 4,000 organizers and counting by offering email templates and petitions to demand that school districts teach more Black history and include more Black authors.14
Carrying this new level of consciousness in their backpacks, Gen Z and Millennials will act as the new school principals. They will be in charge of upholding the rules, keeping all the students, brands, and institutions accountable, and playing their role to reach a better future.
FULLSCREEN CULTURE HOT TAKES // WELCOME TO THE SCHOOL OF UNLEARNING: An Intro to How BLM Grew From a Social Movement into an Education Movement
@emmanuelacho is a former NFL linebacker turned sports
commentator and the creator of the series “Uncomfortable
Conversations with a Black Man.” In his first video, which to date has
amassed over 11M views on Instagram, he addresses the many
race-related questions he was receiving from non-Black peers.13
@soyouwanttotalkabout is one of what has become
many accounts that discusses progressive politics and social issues—including racism—in graphic slideshow form. The Instagram page grew from
10,000 followers in early June to 1.2 million in early August.13
@transparentblackgirl and @transparentandblack are ”wellness collectives”
founded by Yasmine Jameelah who is leading the charge to
“shatter unconventional stigmas” around wellness and healing for Black Americans.13
@ziwef aka Ziwe Fumudoh, comedian writer for “Desus &
Mero,” came into the spotlight in the summer of 2020 when she
launched her Instagram Live show asking internet
personalities burning questions such as “How many Black
friends do you have?”13
ADDRESS THE PAST TO PASS THE CLASS: As Gen Z and Millennials continue to learn how to be comfortable having uncomfortable conversations, discomfort should no longer be a signal of failure for brands but rather an indicator of progress. Brands need to reflect on their own history and track record. Consumers need to understand why a brand did not join the conversation in the past and why it is doing so in the present. It is important to reckon with and address any wrongdoing and take continual action for progress and change—61% of 18-37-year-olds agree brands need to address their racist history and make up for their past.3
EMPOWER FROM THE INSIDE OUT: Only half of 18-37-year-olds think brands are being authentic about supporting BLM.3 Words alone are not enough—Gen Z and Millennials are holding brands accountable by asking them to show their support from the inside out. In addition to having difficult conversations, the top ways that 18-37-year-olds want brands to authentically show their support is by recruiting diverse employees and hiring Black leaders within their company.3
LEARNING IS A LONG-TERM INVESTMENT: Equality and justice will not happen overnight and Gen Z and Millennials will fight for change until they see it happen. More than one in three 18-37-year-olds say they will continue to take action to address race-related issues in America until systemic change actually happens and 33% believe the nationwide call to action surrounding race-related issues will continue for years to come.3 Gen Z and Millennials expect brands that support the movement to take measurable action every single day. Beyond short-term fixes, set long-term change-making goals and fulfill your promise. Accountability and allyship go hand-in-hand.
