Campaign Statement

Hold Media Accountable for Harmful Narratives About Black American Men and Women

For generations, Black American men and women have loved one another, built families, created communities, and stood together through some of the most consequential struggles in American history. Our unity has been instrumental in overcoming discrimination, advancing civil rights, building institutions, and creating opportunities for future generations.

Yet today, media outlets and social-media platforms can disproportionately amplify content portraying Black American men and women as adversaries rather than partners. Engagement-driven algorithms can reward inflammatory content, allowing hostility, gender-based stereotypes, and deliberately distorted portrayals of Black relationships to reach enormous audiences. When conflict generates clicks, views, and revenue, division can become more visible than the everyday reality of Black families, relationships, cooperation, and love.

We are calling for accountability.

Media companies and digital platforms should establish and transparently enforce standards addressing content that deliberately promotes harmful racial and gender stereotypes, while protecting legitimate criticism, debate, journalism, and free expression. Platforms should also examine whether their recommendation algorithms disproportionately amplify inflammatory content about Black American men and women simply because controversy generates engagement.

We call on lawmakers, regulators, media organizations, and technology companies to examine appropriate transparency and accountability measures—including enforcement of existing civil-rights and consumer-protection laws where applicable—rather than allowing profitable algorithms to continually reward harmful misrepresentation without scrutiny.

This movement is not about silencing disagreement or pretending problems do not exist. It is about refusing to allow the most hostile and divisive portrayals of Black American relationships to become the dominant representation of who we are.

Black American men and women have a history far greater than an algorithm. Our children deserve to inherit the full story: love, family, partnership, resilience, struggle, achievement, and unity.

Sign this petition to demand greater transparency, responsible standards, and accountability from the media companies and digital platforms shaping how Black American men and women are portrayed.