Source: Nichole Sobecki / Getty
Last week, Islamist militants attacked Garissa University College in Kenya, killing 147 people – students and staff members. Headlines around the world repeatedly spoke of the number, but mentioned no names. A fairly common practice in news media, to synopsize information, and probably no foul intended. However, a social media campaign has arisen. In effort to humanize the victims, and to remember the individuals behind the statistic – and all of their hopes and dreams – users are posting photos and names of each of the slain. The hashtag #147notjustanumber. Ory Okolloh Mwangi is said to have started the campaign, telling The Wall Street Journal the campaign is “an effort to humanize victims of terror.”
