by Maya Koeppen ‘17

At no time is the power of Internet community more prevalent than when there is a controversy to stir up people’s passion. Repeatedly, social media comes to the rescue of companies that suffer public outlash for being inclusive. April 29 was no different, after Old Navy posted an ad to Twitter of an interracial couple wearing their clothing, to a cascade of racism and hatred. Quick to their rescue, supporters of the campaign shut down opponents, tweeting messages with the hashtag #LoveWins and some even sharing photos of their own interracial family.

In a time when the generic American family has become a thing of the past, many brave companies have adopted this same inclusivity into their marketing campaigns to appeal to a broad array of consumers. While Twitter facilitated this controversy, it is comforting to see that the members’ response offered a glimmer of hope for the ideals of tolerance and equality.

Any company that include same-sex couples and interracial families in its advertising should be applauded. Meanwhile those who are too ignorant and blind to see the beauty of diversity should, quite frankly, just stay silent. It is 2016, and love is love no matter one’s gender or race.