It’s not a new hashtag on Twitter, but on Thursday #UGAstrong took on new urgency and added meaning.
Almost from the moment word got out that the four young women killed in a two-car crash in Oconee County Wednesday night were all University of Georgia students, the hashtag became a way of grieving and sharing support:
“Please pray for the victims & families involved in this tragic accident. Very sad to hear that we have lost some of our own #UGAstrong,” Elidani Amaya, whose Twitter bio describes her as a UGA student posted around 5 a.m.
“My heart aches today for my university, my fellow dawgs, and the panhellenic community. Drive safe, someone loves you. #UGAStrong,” Courtney Huber (UGA ‘18) wrote a little while later.
On and on the hashtagged tweets kept coming, frequently accompanied by another hashtag, #PrayforUGA. Many got hundreds of retweets and hearts, Twitter’s way of “liking” a message that felt ironically, inordinately, sad on Thursday.
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And #UGAstrong became a way for other colleges and their students to show solidarity with their suffering peers in Athens.
From Georgia Southwestern’s Twitter account:
“We express our deepest sympathy to the @universityofga family as they mourn the loss of four students. #UGAstrong.”
From a fraternity at Kennesaw State University:
“Prayers and support from the brothers of ΔΧ out to the UGA community and the families effected by the tragic accident last night #UGAstrong”
By early afternoon, Trendsmap Atlanta, which tracks real-time Twitter trends, was confirming it:
“#ugastrong is now trending in #atlanta.”
On an awful day for the UGA community, it was news no one would be celebrating.