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When Black people get together for the greater good of mankind, mountains can be moved and ashy ligaments can be eroded.

Black Twitter has attracted national news attention in a recent associated press article that recognizes their voice of reason when it comes to socioeconomic stories such as Home Depot’s racist tweets and political matters like Don Lemon’s accusatory on-air rant about stop-and-frisk laws.

Reports the AP:

When a Florida jury convicted Michael Dunn of attempted murder, but not actual murder, in the shooting death of black teenager Jordan Davis, the hashtag #dangerousblackkids popped up on Twitter. Users posted photos of black babies and toddlers, spoofing the fear that Dunn testified he felt before opening fire on a car full of teens at a convenience store.

Black Twitter holds court on pretty much everything from President Barack Obama to the latest TV reality show antics. But Black Twitter can also turn activist quickly. When it does, things happen — like the cancellation of a book deal for a juror in the George Zimmerman trial, or the demise of Zimmerman’s subsequent attempt to star at celebrity boxing.

Black Twitter is not a special website or a smartphone app. The hashtag #blacktwitter itself won’t necessarily lead you to it. It doesn’t exactly stick out among the trending topics on Twitter, even though it’s been known to cause a topic or two to trend. It is not exclusively black — there are blacks who don’t participate in it, and people of other races who do.

Which is where Hip-Hop Wired stepped in late January to steer Twitter users in the right direction with a post titled “The Blacklist: 20 Accounts You Must Follow On Black Twitter.”

Tracy Clayton, an editor for Buzzfeed, clarified the social phenom as “It’s kind of like the black table in the lunchroom, sort of, where people with like interests and experiences, and ways of talking and communication, lump together and talk among themselves.”

Clayton b.k.a. as her Twitter handle @brokeymcpoverty, was also featured on “The Blacklist” article. Dr. Kimberly C. Ellis is also doing extensive research on the cultural trend for her upcoming book, The Bombastic Brilliance of Black Twitter.

[The Grio]

Photo: Twitter