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Hi John,
On Christmas Day, children sprint to see what Santa has left under the
tree and unwrap their shiny gaming consoles with glee! But when Black
children take to Twitch to watch streamers level up in Fortnite or secure
cheat codes for their newest game, many will encounter harsh realities. In
some cases, it’s hard to find streamers who look and talk like them.
Twitch rarely features Black creators on its front page and limits its
celebration of Black creators and their communities to the month of
February. And when children do find streamers who represent their cultural
identities, many are at risk of being exposed to hateful and
discriminatory comments frequently left by racist users in Black creators’
live stream chats. Twitch has allowed anti-Black racism to run rampant on
its platform since 2018, and our children are seeing it.
[ [link removed] ]THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, John, POWER THE #TWITCHDOBETTER
MOVEMENT!
Since the pandemic began, there has been a 70 percent increase in hate
between children and teens during online chats, and a 40 percent increase
in toxicity among young gamers. From emotional fatigue to depression, the
mental health effects are far-reaching.^1 Black children as well as the
Black streamers who are continuously harassed deserve protection.
[ [link removed] ]And, John, we need your support to hold Twitch accountable!
Back in August, we devised a list of demands that we believe would make
our children and our communities feel safer while on the platform. While
Twitch has since implemented phone/email verified chat (which creates some
additional security during live streams) and bans on known problematic
accounts, more is required to keep Black steamers safe:
* A racial equity audit would empower Twitch with the knowledge
framework and racial justice lens needed to root out biases in its
processes, policies, and procedures.
* A software that bans universal slurs would ensure that Black
communities, specifically children, are not exposed to language that
attacks, threatens, or undermines their cultural identities.
* Increased moderation support would ensure that Black creators can
respond quickly to end hate raids and protect themselves—and their
audiences—from discriminatory language.
* An updated harassment complaint system would include additional
tagging options, timestamps, confirmation of receipt from a live
reviewer, and an expected timeline for review and resolution of
complaints.
[ [link removed] ]So, John, before children open the gaming systems they’ll
receive from Santa, power our efforts to build safe online communities for
Black people everywhere.
[ [link removed] ]donate now
Until justice is real,
—The Color Of Change Team
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References:
1. Joanne Orlando, “Young people are exposed more to hate online during
COVID. And it risks their health,” The Conversation, November 9, 2020,
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[ [link removed] ]Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black
folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Please
help keep our movement strong.
[ [link removed] ]Make a Donation
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