Protect Black Women

Interrogating the Culture of Dissemblance Through Instagram Hashtag Activism

Poster Text Research Questions ● How do Black women using #ProtectBlackWomen on Instagram navigate the intersectionality of their gender and racial identities while discussing domestic and sexual violence occurring within Black communities? ● Are Black women challenging the culture of dissemblance within #ProtectBlackWomen discourse on Instagram? If so, how do we see dissemblance challenged and/or addressed in their posts? Abstract This study explores Black women’s online discussions of intraracial, gender–based violence through a study of the hashtag #ProtectBlackWomen on Instagram. Using the theoretical framework of historian Darlene Clark Hine’s culture of dissemblance, I aimed to understand how Black women online navigate conversations about victimhood while facing intra–community needs for protection from white supremacy. The culture of dissemblance describes how Black women maintain silence around their experiences of sexual and domestic violence, sexuality, sexual desire, and their inner lives as a form of self protection. Methodology ● Semi–structured, in depth interviews with 5 Black women and femmes familiar with #ProtectBlackWomen ● Critical discourse analysis of 44 Instagram posts relevant to #ProtectBlackWomen from 2020-2021 Thematic findings: Instagram 1. Demanding accountability from Black men/Black communities 2. Drawing parallels between state and interpersonal violence 3. Empowerment and mutual support among Black women Thematic findings: Interviews 1. #ProtectBlackWomen as a call to everyone 2. Centering Black women’s voices through the hashtag 3. Empowerment and mutual support among Black women Conclusion Through #ProtectBlackWomen, Black women have sought to break the patterns of silence that limited their ability to discuss intracommunity violence to broad audiences. Instead of allowing secrecy to define Black women’s experiences of gender-based violence as a form of self–protection, #ProtectBlackWomen posts use disclosure and education to resist harmful images and demand change.

In 2025, the Center for Media at Risk launched its Undergraduate Fellowship to support Communication Majors developing innovative projects on media and risk. Guided by Professor Sarah Jackson, Naima Small studied the hashtag #ProtectBlackWomen on Instagram, exploring how Black women discuss victimhood and protection from white supremacy.

Naima Small is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania where she was a communication major with a concentration in advocacy and activism and a minor in Africana studies. At Penn, Naima studied social media and culture, how gender is portrayed online and the role of technology in perpetuating bias. Naima was also a student journalist working for 34th Street Magazine as a writer, Style Editor, Assignments Editor and Ego Editor. 

This image shows two individuals in a side-by-side format. Left: j. Siguru Wahutu, wearing glasses and a plaid blazer with red accents, standing outdoors with a blurred urban cityscape in the background. Right: Arwa Mahdawi wearing a navy top with a turquoise beaded neckline, standing indoors against a brick wall.
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