Following the release of TikTok's statement, Refinery29 reached out to several TikTok creators who joined on the May 19 Blackout. Mecca Verdell ( @mecca.morphosis ), a 22-year-old based out of Baltimore, Maryland, went viral during the May 19 Blackout for her spoken word poem. She thinks TikTok's apology is a step in the right direction. "Here's the thing, any media is going to be a reflection of the people that created it," she begins. "It's all about what you allow, ignore, and what you are ignorant to. So TikTok definitely did take a step in the right direction with educating themselves on what we needed and putting their money where their mouth is about the protection of Black lives/creators."