Black Women’s Criticism of the Blue Bracelet Movement

By Leah jones

Following the 2024 presidential election, the blue bracelet movement began on TikTok. The trend was started by user @witchywoosel as a way to show solidarity between women who voted for Kamala Harris.

The trend became particularly popular amongst White women as polling demographics revealed that the majority of white female voters voted for Donald Trump, similarly to 2016 and 2020.

In contrast, the overwhelming majority of Black female voters voted for Kamala Harris.

The blue bracelet movement is being used by many White women to show marginalized groups concerned following Trump’s win that they are not a part of that majority of Trump-supporting White women.

However, many Black women have expressed that they feel this trend is performative and takes away from the real action needed from White women.

Black women have historically been at the center of movements for equality and justice, as well as backing the Democratic party despite often feeling underrepresented by it.

Because of this, many Black women see the response of anti-Trump White women to Trump’s win aided by their fellow White women being, “I’m one of the good ones” as selfish and performative.

The blue bracelets may be intended to make Black women or other BIPOC/LGBTQ+ people feel seen and safe, but it does not require action for the wearer.

The blue bracelet movement trend also resembles past trends that generated no real action for the minority groups they were intended to be in support of.

These trends include the wearing of safety pins in 2016 following Trump’s first win or the posting of black squares on Instagram in 2020 in response to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Many Black women have not said that these trends are bad but are criticizing them as being nothing more than symbolic in a time when they need to finally see real action from White women.

Black women have long expressed ways that White women can better show their support. Among them are having hard conversations with friends and family regarding race…

…supporting Black-owned businesses and Black creators, uplifting the voices of Black women and joining their movements, voting for policies that protect Black women.

Read our full article at the link below!

The Blue Bracelet Movement