Ugandan climate activist gets Twitter verification after ‘racist’ photo crop
Following the backlash, AP removed the cropped photo and replaced it with one showing all the activists [Markus Schreiber/AP]
Just three days after she accused the Associated Press of racism for cropping her out of a photo, Ugandan climate change activist Vanessa Nakate’s twitter account has been verified.
At 9:00pm on Monday, she tweeted, “I have been verified! Thank you guys. This is because of you. I am so grateful. Thank you.”
Last Saturday, Ms Nakate tweeted an emotional video hitting at AP for cropping her out of a photo where she posed with other climate change activists; Ms Greta Thunberg, Ms Luisa Neubauer, Ms Loukina Tille and Ms Isabelle Axelsson.
The activists were attending the annual World Economic Forum conference in Switzerland.
In the video that went gone viral over the weekend, the sobbing Ms Nakate explained how the experience was the “hardest thing.”
She tweeted “You didn't just erase a photo. You erased a continent. But I am stronger than ever.”
She added: “Hurt that it happened to me! I have spoken against it because it is wrong! But at least now I know that it won't happen to any other African climate activist! Now is the time to listen to the African voices!”
The story was picked up by major news outlets world over.
READ:
Ugandan activist accuses media of racism after being cropped out of photo
The activists were attending the annual World Economic Forum
While some stood with her and others showed sympathy, others didn’t and told her, “she should have positioned herself in the middle of the other activists.”
To those, she responded, “Everyone saying that I should position myself in the middle is wrong! Does an African activist have to stand in the middle just because of fear of being cropped out? It shouldn't be like this!”
In just three days, Ms Nakate’s following has grown from less than 50,000 followers to 115,000 followers.
