Yesterday, Nickelodeon showed its support for the Black Lives Matter movement by going off the air at 6 p.m. EST.
In its place, Nickelodeon aired a powerful video that ran for 8 minutes and 46 seconds — which is the exact amount of time that George Floyd was pinned to the ground with Officer Derek Chauvin's knee on his neck. The entire video consisted of the words "I can't breathe" on screen, accompanied by the sound of breathing.
View this video on YouTube
The network also ran a slightly updated version of its "Declaration of Kids' Rights" (which it first came up with 30 years ago) along with it.
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After it aired, people went on Twitter to say how glad they were that Nickelodeon took such an important stand:
Nickelodeon. Growing up, they were pivotal in mine, and a whole generations development as children and adolescents. In 2020, they have proven that they aren't afraid to side publicly what is right. This video played on all of their channels for 8 minutes and 47 seconds. Wow.
Never been more proud to have been on @Nickelodeon ❤️ #BlackLivesMatter #EveryKidDeservesToBecomeAnAdult
Nickelodeon was such an influential part of my young life, and it's invaluable for brands like this to use that influence to educate younger generations on what it means to be an ally for justice, equality and human rights #BlackLivesMatter https://t.co/NtrGWR6pti
Nickelodeon said #BlackLivesMatter
With some pointing out just how impactful the video was:
On nickelodeon they have a “I can’t Breathe” commercial that shows how long is 9 mins. During this 9 mins you hear nothing just breathing.
i’m watching nickelodeon with the kids i babysit for, i’m floored. this is awesome
Others defended Nickelodeon's decision to run the ad:
People griping at Nickelodeon for the "I Can't Breathe" spot. Claiming that it's "not the right platform" & that it is scaring their children It should scare your children. If they learn of injustice from a cable network instead of their parents then that's on the parents.
@geigtm Black children are dying and Nickelodeon has BLACK child actors they HAVE to say something. I’m sorry your privilege allows to to disconnect and ignore. Our black kids CANNOT do the same. Understand that point of view.
While some people said that it was an important message for kids to hear:
i was cleaning when i was saw this popped up on the tv while my brother was watching nick jr and i asked him if he wanted to change the channel bc i thought the heavy breath would scare him but he said to let it finish. thank you nickelodeon for using your platform
Nickelodeon sent the message in the most mature way possible for a kids network, solitude very heartfelt... #BlackLivesMatter
#Nickelodeon thanks. This actually gave my kids comfort
You can watch the video here: