Top Social Justice Memes of 2019

The Center for Story-based Strategy’s annual ranking evaluates memes that “challenge the status quo and shape politics and pop culture.” The organization defines memes broadly as meaning containers transmitted through various media—not just internet graphics, but also “writing, speech, gestures, images, rituals.”

Selection criteria require memes to challenge existing power structures, influence culture and politics, and achieve significant viral reach.

The Top 10 Social Justice Memes of 2019

#10. Jews against I.C.E. — Best Intervention at the Point of Destruction

Jewish activists transformed Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices into sites of moral confrontation. By positioning Jewish communities as heroes with “deep experience in confronting…fascism and genocide,” organizers elevated the stakes through chants like “Never Again is Now” and “Close the Camps.”

#9. Black forgiveness — Best Use of Making the Invisible Visible

The hashtag critiqued public moments where Black victims offered forgiveness to white perpetrators, particularly in the Botham Jean case. Observers noted this “shapes these public narratives” by potentially obscuring systemic patterns of police violence and racial inequality.

#8. A rapist in your path — Most Viral Intervention

This Chilean street theater performance, featuring “blindfolded performers” and choreography, spread globally across countries including Mexico, Germany, Turkey, and Kenya. The intervention connected sexual violence to political systems rather than individual incidents.

#7. Me too. Voter. — Best Intervention at the Point of Decision

The hashtag reframed survivors from victims to political actors, emphasizing electoral power and accountability. It positioned survivors “in the voting booth and at the center of a sacred public institution.”

#6. The Crowd: Hong Kong protests & global uprisings — Best Show Don’t Tell

Mass demonstrations across Chile, Ecuador, Haiti, Hong Kong, Lebanon, and Puerto Rico embodied collective power through sheer presence. The meme conveyed “a strong message by its mere existence,” transforming public space through occupation.

#5. AOC & the Squad — Best Use of Foreshadowing

These four women of color representatives brought previously underrepresented identities to national leadership—including a practicing Muslim, former bartender, and survivor of sexual violence. Their presence foreshadowed “a representative body that is truly representative.”

#4. Greta & Co. — Best Action Logic

Youth climate leaders, including indigenous activists and young people of color, shifted environmental discourse by centering those most impacted. The meme emphasized that “the appropriate next-step is to look to the leadership of those impacted.”

#3. 1619 — Best Intervention in a Control Mythology

The New York Times project reframed American origin stories from 1776 to 1619, emphasizing the arrival of enslaved Africans. This “reframes the ‘historic experiment’ of the United States entirely,” locating inequality’s roots in slavery rather than treating it as recent deviation.

#2. #NoBodyIsDisposable — Best Reframe

Connected fat liberation, disability justice, and immigrant rights under a unified framework rejecting the notion that human value depends on economic productivity. The hashtag demanded recognition that “living breathing human beings” have inherent worth beyond utility.

#1. BlackWomxnFor ________ — Best Use of the Drama Triangle

This hashtag inverted traditional election narratives by positioning Black women constituents as heroes rather than passive voters selecting candidate-products. The blank line symbolized “continued alignment and accountability to a critical constituency,” emphasizing that power belongs with frontline leadership.