Post #2469039
2026-04-27 19:44 UTC
I'm not sure who brought it into the Slack originally, but it quickly became a common fixture when folks wanted to simply express empathy and compassion without replying with platitudes or unsolicited advice.
Replies (1)
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@andymcmillan@xoxo.zone 2026-04-27 19:44
The original symbol was designed by Deb Ellsworth in 1973, when she was a college student active in the anti-Vietnam War movement, and has become a popular icon representing empathy in activism and education for 50+ years. She's still documenting its use to this day: https://empathysymbol.com