Dezeen Magazine

Architects and designers post black squares on Instagram in support of racial equality

Architects and designers have joined over a million people around the world in posting a black square to Instagram in solidarity with those protesting for racial equality following the death of George Floyd in police custody.

David Adjaye, Jessica Walsh, Tom Dixon, Camille Walala, Yinka Ilori, Morag Myerscough, Formafantasma, Studio Drift, Charles Holland and Bec Brittain are among the thousands of architects and designers to have posted a black square on Instagram.

The majority of these posts are not accompanied by any caption. However, many of those posting the square used the hashtag #blackouttuesday, which started as an effort by music business leaders to stop activity for a day.

The hashtag has now been widely adopted by people who will make the black square their only post on Instagram for the day.

Along with the hashtag, some designers have included links to support funds that have been established for Floyd and those impacted by the protests. These include the Official George Floyd Memorial Fund along with numerous funds to pay the bail of those arrested during the protests in the USA.

Others have included the #blacklivesmatter hashtag in reference to the Black Lives Matter human rights movement, which campaigns against racism towards black people. However, users have been asked to remove this hashtag as it can be used for people to find information on current protests.

Floyd was killed in Minneapolis on Monday 25 May when a white officer knelt on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. Since his death, people across the architecture and design industry have spoken out against racism in America.