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Culture > News

#CarefreeBlackKids2K16 Is Helping People Cope After Alton Sterling’s & Philando Castile’s Deaths

This week has been a rough one. Two videos have circulated on social media—both of which depicted police officers killing black men for nonviolent offenses. The first video showed 37-year-old Alton Sterling being shot multiple times by police while they pinned him to the ground. The second was a Facebook Live video in which 32-year-old Philando Castile was covered in blood, shot dead in his seat by a police officer during a traffic stop. These two men, within just a few days of each other, became the 135th and 136th black people to have been killed by police in 2016.

As anger and pain sink deeply into the hearts of all Americans, especially within black communities, Twitter Moments found some light in the darkness. On Thursday, #CarefreeBlackKids2K16 trended, which was begun by writer and podcaster Heben Nigatu (@heavenrants). According to Twitter, “people are sharing photos and videos of black children displaying their humor, intelligence and overall greatness in spite of existing in turbulent times.” Take a look for yourself; we could probably all use a little bit of hope in the wake of such a troubling pattern of racist tragedies. 






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Bridget Higgins

U Mass Amherst

Bridget is a senior Journalism major focusing on political journalism at UMass Amherst. She interned for the HC editorial team, writes columns for the Massachusetts Daily Collegian, and occasionally gets a freelance article or two on sailing published by Ocean Navigator Magazine. When she isn't greeting random puppies on the street, she loves to cook for her friends, perpetuate her coffee addiction, and spend too much time crafting Tweets. She is also an avid fan of chocolate anything and unnecessary pillows. If you want to know more about Bridget, follow her on Instagram - @bridget_higgins - or Twitter - @bridgehiggins