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During the initial week of protests, over 3.6 million posts appeared on Twitter documenting and reflecting on the emerging details surrounding Michael Brown’s death; by the end of the month, “#Ferguson” had appeared more than eight million times on the Twitter platform.

In our kitchen-talk, porch-talk, stoop-talk, shop-talk, we say a lot of things that most white folks rarely hear because in these spaces we can be just a little more free or, at least, we face our own judgments of each other, shaped by our racist ecology, rather than carry the unique heaviness of “being Black.”

“It’s just Twitter” is a refrain often tweeted by people who insist that they don’t take much of what they read on Twitter seriously. For them, Twitter is simply another social media platform they can log onto, browse a few tweets and trends, and check up on their favorite celebrities’ latest antics before logging off and going on about their lives. For others, though, particularly for people of color, Twitter has become one of the most important tools of modern sociopolitical activism, a powerful force in the Zimmerman trial aftermath and beyond

Whose black lives matter anyway?

"Ferguson, MO," Olive

"From Citizen," Rankine

“Look, I'm not exactly questioning your sexuality, but have you ever hit a woman? You'd probably just as soon date a black chick. Just as soon eat pussy. Sometimes I can't believe my eyes.”

“I'm T.S... motherfuckin'-A. We handle shit. That's what we do. Consider this situation... fuckin' handled.”

“Black Lives Matter is an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise.  It is an affirmation of Black folks’ contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression.”

“Man I promise, she's so self conscious She has no idea what she's doing in college That major that she majored in don't make no money But she won't drop out, her parents will look at her funny”

“This level of individual consciousness is a fundamental area where new knowledge can generate change. Traditional accounts assume that power as domination operates from the top down by forcing and controlling unwilling victims to bend to the will of more powerful superiors”

“Y'all haters corny with that illuminati mess Paparazzi, catch my fly, and my cocky fresh I'm so reckless when I rock my Givenchy dress (stylin') I'm so possessive so I rock his Roc necklaces”

“I'm rapin' you niggas Look at this pic, look what the fuck I gave to you niggas Ain't feelin' these niggas Niggas want my time, call me Clinton, I'm billin' these niggas”

“You wake up, flawless Post up, flawless Ridin' round in it, flawless Flossin' on that, flawless This diamond, flawless My diamond, flawless This rock, flawless My Roc, flawless I woke up like this, I woke up like this We flawless, ladies tell 'em”

“A policeman who shot down a ten year old in Queens stood over the boy with his cop shoes in childish blood and a voice said “Die you little motherfucker” and there are tapes to prove it.”

“Difference is that raw and powerful connection from which our personal power is forged.”

“For our show, people get to be the stars of their own stories and they get to be the stars of their own stand up,” Williams said during a press conference. “So it’s really cool to give our friends and a lot of people of color and different orientations an opportunity to speak for themselves and be sort of the main character as opposed to like the side character or supporting character.”