#Illridewithyou: Saying NO to Hate
On December 14th 2014 Sydney, Australia was paralyzed with fear when a café filled with seventeen people were held under hostage. The hostage lasted for approximately 16 hours. The unknown was unbearable to many and even though it seemed to be the time to point fingers, blame and hate the ‘other’, one woman stepped up and started #Illridewithyou.
#Illridewithyou began with the intention to reach out to anyone who may experience backlash due to siege. This was especially helpful for Muslim women who may experience direct racism by what they wear. #Illridewithyou began as one woman’s noble intention to bridge the gap and maintain a sense of community. This intention soon became a trend on twitter and hundreds of people also extended their willingness to ride or walk with anyone who may have fear of backlash.
In the September 11th attacks, backlash against South Asians was prominent. Isolation and fear took over the communities. During that time, there wasn’t a movement formed to help serve those who were experiencing the backlash. Fast-forward to 2014, we can see many changes in how people respond to terror and hate. Social media has done a lot to generate momentum in serving those in need.
#Illridewithyou is just one of the many movements that have started in social media. With a movement like this, there is a clear message being sent out to all the groups that initiate hate. The message is that there is no room for hate to live within their communities. That living with the same conviction can eliminate the fear once and for all.
#Illridewithyou is incredibly inspiring and with the world watching with admiration, there is sure to be a lot more love being passed around. The most positive thing about this is that any person, young or old, can log-in and write a tweet or a blog post and make a difference with their words. It shows how much power one person can have. And how love will forever conquer all!
Picture from http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2014/12/illridewithyou-sydney-stands-up-to-racism-with-one-beautiful-hashtag/