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Many Black streamers have received unprecedented support in recent days. On Tuesday, Tanya “Cypheroftyr” DePass, who in the past has dealt with sustained stalking-based harassment that Twitch failed to address until recently, raised $142,781 for national nonprofit The Bail Project in a single charity stream.

“Y’all. I am FLUMMOXED. ABSOLUTELY FLUMMOXED,” she wrote on Twitter in the stream’s aftermath. “I had a goal of $500 this morning, thinking folks would be worn out after a hard month of fundraising. Y’all proved me so wrong today and I am humbled, grateful, thankful for everyone. $142,781 raised in 10.5 hours.”

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Other Black streamers like Deejay Knight, Black Girl Gamers, Ebonix, and iamBrandon have also run successful charity streams, and countless others like Storymodebae, BlackOni, J-Roc, SenseiCJ, and Okaydrian have educated their audiences and engaged them in difficult conversations about race and oppression. Meanwhile, big names like Lupo have been passing around lists of Black streamers to follow and support. But it’s been bittersweet. On one hand, these creators are receiving more attention than ever. On the other, it’s pretty telling that it’s only just now happening in this particular moment.

“I’m glad that Black creators are finally being recognized, but at this cost? Really?” said iamBrandon on Twitter, calling for Twitch to assign partner managers, who serve as a direct line between streamers and Twitch, to more Black creators. “We have been here this whole time and making some pretty dope stuff. I’m not gonna lie, but I’m pretty disappointed to see some companies now trying [to] find Black folks to use for their content. Elevate us all the time, not just for Black History Month. It took us dying for years before some of these brands opened their eyes to see there are Black creators they could be supporting. Take that in.”

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“The only other time I’ve seen this many non-Black people tag/mention BGG this much is when we’re receiving racist vitriol,” said Black Girl Gamers on Twitter. “As much as we’re grateful to receive new support, BGG is not a proxy for doing the work regarding police brutality. Run those pockets. Sign those petitions.”

Looking for ways to advocate for black lives? Check out this list of resources by our sister site Lifehacker for ways to get involved.

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