If you head over to BabyNames.com‘s homepage, you’ll see a black box with white lettering inside of it. The first words you will read say, “each of these names was somebody’s baby.”
The rest of the box is filled with 139 names. All of the names belonged to black people who were killed by gun violence, most of whom were killed by police officers.
“BabyNames.com stands in solidarity with the black community,” the website wrote after listing the 139 names. “#blacklivesmatter.”
The vocal support comes from the most recent incidences of gun violence and police brutality which took the lives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. And people on Twitter were incredibly touched by the website’s tribute.
“[I] was not expecting http://Babynames.com to unload the chopper like that,” one person wrote on Twitter. “ok baby names dot com go off,” another shared.
“Powerful stuff. All parents give deep and loving thought to their baby’s name. They never imagine seeing it on a tombstone or a headline about victims of police violence. They were all someone’s baby.”
And as the Washington Post reports, BabyNames.com joins a list of companies that have taken a unique approach to show their support for the black community.
Netflix
Netflix has shown its support by making it possible and easy to find shows and movies on their platform that help teach viewers the history of the African American community.
Amazon Alexa
“Black lives matter. I believe in racial equality,” Alexa says through its devices to show their support. “I stand in solidarity with the black community in the fight against systemic racism and injustice.”
Apple
“Right now, there is a pain deeply etched in the soul of our nation and in the hearts of millions,” Apple’s Tim Cook said in his statement on the website. “To stand together, we must stand up for one another, and recognize the fear, hurt, and outrage rightly provoked by the senseless killing of George Floyd and a much longer history of racism.”
With so many of the world’s biggest companies speaking out, it’s important for us all to take positive action as well.