TikToker Creates Watermelon Emoji Filter in Support of Palestine, Gaza

In efforts to raise funds to support Palestine, an influencer on TikTok, Jourdan Johnson, created a watermelon filter for users to use when posting content.

Known as the “Filter for Good,” using the filter will help raise humanitarian relief in Gaza through TikTok's Effect Creator Rewards program, said Johnson, an AR creator from California.

According to the program, people who popularly create effects on TikTok can earn money every time the effects are used after at least 200,000 people use it. In Johnson’s case, within a week of her launching the effect, it was shared over 5 million times.

“I have created this FILTER FOR GOOD effect and will be donating the rewards earned to charities providing aid in Gaza,” she wrote in the caption of her first TikTok video debuting the effect.

“I know many of us don’t know how to help, but it can be as simple as posting a video with this filter!”

To raise funds for Palestine, all users have to do is record a video with the filter and post it. Even videos made privately count toward the fundraiser. 

Johnson said she created the filter to effectively "make an impact" by utilizing the things she knew, including creating effects.

"It’s a skill I can contribute and something I can use to do something good,” she said in a video.

The watermelon is a common symbol used to represent the Palestinian flag. It first emerged after the Six-Day War in 1967, when Israel seized control of the West Bank and Gaza, and annexed East Jerusalem. At the time, the Israeli government made public displays of the Palestinian flag a criminal offense in Gaza and the West Bank.

To circumvent the ban, Palestinians began using the watermelon because, when cut open, the fruit depicts the national colors of the Palestinian flag—red, black, white, and green.  

As the filter became more popular, Johnson encouraged users to make posts informative and not just fun. She also noted that the filter allows for those who cannot donate otherwise to help spread awareness and contribute without financial restraint.

“When using this filter, let’s make sure we’re making informative videos. We don’t want to lose sight of why this filter was created and what is happening,” she said in a follow-up TikTok posted on Nov. 13. 

“BookTok has been using this to share recommended readings by Palestinian authors. If you like to cook, use this filter while you’re sharing with us Palestinian recipes. And for all my beauty and fashion girlies… use it with a ‘get ready with me.’ Share with us what brands we should be supporting and why.”

Addressing concerns about where the money will be donated, Johnson said she is in direct contact with aid workers and medical professionals on the ground in Gaza.

"I’ve researched organizations to donate the funds to those that have people on the ground, as well as what the people are requesting, like eSims," she said, according to Mashable.

 "Since last week, eSims have no longer become the priority, so in addition to the aid organizations, I believe that it’ll be more efficient to determine where the rest of the funds will go when they are available, to prioritize what is needed at that time.”

Johnson has more than 148,000 followers on TikTok. According to her website, she is also one of the top 1% of effect creators on TikTok.

In her most recent update, Johnson said the filter has generated more than $10,000 in revenue.

She also noted that she plans to create a similar filter for the Democratic Republic of Congo, where millions have been displaced in the wake of violent conflict.