On LinkedIn, Speaking Truth to Power, and the Inevitability of White Supremacist Censorship (Updated 8/27/2021)

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So I've been banned from LinkedIn, and I'm unsure if/when they'll reinstate my account. If you follow me on LinkedIn and realized in the past few days that when you try to go to my account that it doesn't exist? Now you know why.

This past Saturday afternoon, I signed into my LinkedIn account and found that my account was suspended. I reached out to LinkedIn Support to find out why. Wanna know why?

Well, if a crap-ton of people report your posts or content, LinkedIn begins building a case log. Too many reported posts that LinkedIn views as "unprofessional content" will get you restricted. LinkedIn Support told me that my account was restricted "due to multiple violations of the Professional Community Policies." I was informed that "sharing unprofessional or abusive content" goes against LinkedIn's policies.

So what did "white professionals" snitch on me about to LinkedIn? What did "white professionals" find so egregious and worth reporting? And yes, I said "white professionals"; you'll see why I went there in a minute. What could I have said that "pushed" these "white professionals" to request my censure? Well, these are the three posts over the past eight months that seemed to “anger” the "white professionals":

  1. A post the day after the Insurrection citing that white people are a danger to everyone, including white people.

  2. A post the day after the mass shootings of Asian women in Atlanta by a white male shooter asking white people to open their eyes and realize the dangers they create and foster in all spaces.

  3. A post I posted literally on that Saturday morning about white people wanting cookies and gold stars for doing the bare minimum.

See some common thread in those posts? I'm sure you do.

As of this morning, I'm still banned. I submitted an appeal, stating that "white professionals" are all over the platform attacking Black women, Black folx in general, and people of color. They're sending us DMs, posting on our pages, spreading hate with no restrictions being levied to them when they're reported. I asked for my account to be reinstated while requesting accountability for the actions of abusive white folx on the platform. It took two days for them to respond. Their response? It would take up to two weeks for me to hear anything about whether I have my account reinstated or if I'll have to start again from scratch, or if I'm banned from ever using the platform again. But real talk? I honestly wondered how long it would take for something like this to happen.

I've been preparing for this for some time now, the possibility that I would anger enough white folx that they would seek my removal from one of these platforms. It's why I created my website and began using my social media channels to stay connected with folx in different ways. It's why I'm launching the podcast in a few months, to create another avenue of visibility and connection. Why? Because if there's one thing I know about angry white people who don't want to hear about white supremacy or accountability for their actions/inactions, it's this:

They will try to end you.

They will take away parts of your livelihood. They will use their power and positionality to censor you, limit or destroy your reach and access to others, and make you pay for bringing them discomfort. History has shown that they will do this to the point of physically harming and killing you once the psychological harm isn't enough to shut you up and shut you down. Because of this, as Black people, we recognize that we have to always plan for making sure our voices are heard with as little censorship as possible.

To paraphrase the fine folx at Wu-Tang Financial, you've gotta diversify your bonds.

So we wait and see if LinkedIn is a platform that I get to use anymore to continue my work. It's not my only platform or option at this point, so whether or not it's available to me anymore, I'll be OK. Would it be a hit to my bottom line to lose part of the network I've built? Sure. But it won't be the end of the world because I've been doomsday preppin' for dealing with white folx my entire life. I'll survive. Only a couple of scratches and maybe a suture or two, but I'm still here.

And I've got enough canned goods and distilled water to last me a good long time.

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Update (8/27/2021): Early this morning LinkedIn sent me a notification informing me that my account was reinstated, with the heavily bolded stern warning that “any additional violation of our [LinkedIn’s] terms can result in a permanent restriction of your account.” I suppose they’ll be watching now so we’ll see how long it takes for another restriction or the permanent termination of my account, as I’m not going to stop posting real and honest content on the LinkedIn platform because all I know is bringing realness. C’est la vie! Again, this is why you diversify your bonds, y’all.