MoorUs: New Social Networking App for African-Americans

African-Americans will soon have a new forum with the upcoming release of MoorUs, a social networking app created specifically for people of global African descent. Tariq Nasheed, author, documentary filmmaker, and media personality has announced that the app is in its development phase.

He says he is disaffected with the banning of certain “conscious” pages and posts on more popular social media platforms. Nasheed beleives that people of color needed their own platform.’

In a recent YouTube video, he describes the mobile application as a “central place for like-minded people to talk about empowerment.” The app already has some people talking and anticipating its release.

The controversial social commentator is known for his books on dating and appearances as a pundit, as well as his documentary series Hidden Colors, which highlights the untold accomplishments and history of people of color throughout the world. Tickets to see his latest installment, Hidden Colors 4, which was released in select theaters May 26th, screened to sell-out crowds.

MoorUs: Race a Hot Topic

With the subject matter of race relations still being a hot topic, Nasheed says he has encountered criticism, opposition, and even censorship on social media. He accuses Facebook of being one of the main culprits of censoring posts centered on black empowerment and Afrocentric issues.

“Anytime black people start talking about anything progressive or if we start challenging systematic racism, they will block your page,” Tariq says. He cites the lack of diversity among tech employees who moderate social media sites as one reason why some black empowerment posts and profiles may be censored or banned.

According to The Guardian, out of nearly 5,500 Facebook employees, less than 1.5 percent is African-American. In February 2016, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO, came out publicly condemning his own employees for defacing ‘Black Lives Matter’ billboards at their Menlo Park, CA campus.

Once released, MoorUs will have picture/video sharing, message boards, dating features, and business opportunities. It will also have a real-time black business locator to help circulate money within the black community. The goal of MoorUs is to be the hub for black empowerment, networking, and other constructive topics. Nasheed also plans to offer employment once the app is generating income.

With over 43,000 YouTube subscribers, Tariq Nasheed certainly has a sizable following. His audience from the Hidden Colors series as well as his other social media outlets has shown their interest in this project also. Currently, the MoorUs crowdfunding page on Indiegogo.com has raised over $71,000 from over 1000 different contributors.

Nasheed says, “I’m not going to beg to get out of ‘Facebook jail’, we’re going to have our own thing,” when referring to the reason the app is necessary. With that amount of support, this app may become very popular once released. More details will become available closer to the anticipated launch date of July 2016.