On June 1 2020, Facebook posts about a purportedly strong message of support for Black Lives Matter on children’s television network Nickelodeon began circulating, including posts about the channel going off the air for eight minutes and 46 seconds — the exact duration now-former Minnesota law enforcement officer Derek Chauvin “kept his knee on [George] Floyd’s neck,” killing him:
On Twitter, videos of the scrolling footage circulated as well; one depicted a black screen (not seen in other circulating clips where the screen was orange):
The black screen was similar to the one seen on the site 8m46s.com, which encouraged visitors to observe a timer for that duration.
A similar post to Reddit’s r/nextfuckinglevel received a massive 182,000 upvotes:
On Nickelodeon’s verified Facebook page, the channel posted a June 1 2020 message indicating the channel was going off the air for eight minutes and 46 seconds:
Text in the image did not include George Floyd’s name, but did include an indisputable reference to his death:
NICKELODEON IS GOING OFF THE AIR FOR 8 MINUTES AND 46 SECONDS IN SUPPORT OF JUSTICE, EQUALITY, AND HUMAN RIGHTS.
NICKELODEON DECLARATION OF KIDS’ RIGHTS.
You have the right to be seen, heard, and respected as a citizen of the world.
You have the right to a world that is peaceful.
You have the right to be treated with equality, regardless of the color of your skin.
You have the right to an education that prepares you to run the world.
You have the right to your opinions and feelings, even if others don’t agree with them.
An additional message read:
We are all part of the change #blacklivesmatter
Join us at 6p ET, 5p PT
✊????✊????✊????✊????✊????
An identical message was shared to Nickelodeon’s official Twitter feed at 5PM on June 1 2020:
Although we were unable to locate any longer clips, it was true Nickelodeon went off the air for eight minutes and 46 seconds on June 1 2020, in honor of George Floyd. The network also displayed a scrolling message to viewers, advising them of their rights as human beings.