The people you surround yourself with shape your worldview. That’s obvious. But as we spend more and more of our waking lives online, specifically on various forms of social media, what is not always obvious is how many people are forcing themselves into a box of racial myopia. If you’re surprised at the outpouring of grief, anger and solidarity after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police, it may be because your digital world is even less diverse than your real one.
Of course, if we learned anything from #BlackoutTuesday, it’s that if non-Black people are interested in joining the movement of racial justice in the U.S., tapping a few buttons on social media is not going to cut it. That said, increasing the number of Black voices you see, hear and learn from every day is no small thing, and it’s not going to happen without active participation.
This is by no means a comprehensive or definitive list, and we are not professing to be the arbiter of Black voices; we are, however, happy to share 70 of the Black voices that fill our personal social feeds, from writers to activists to fitness junkies. If you’re lacking firsthand perspective of what it’s like to be Black in America, this is a good place to start.
@theccnyc
A New York-based agency, founded by NBC publicist Imani Ellis, which brings multicultural creatives together.
@rachel.cargle
An academic, activist and lecturer with essays in The New Yorker and The Washington Post.
@strongblacklead
A vertical founded by Black executives from Netflix, determined to broadcast Black talent.
@plantbasedrd
A dietitian who shares vegan recipes and wellness tips each day.
@ethelsclub
A virtual social club that celebrates people of color and champions wellness for the Black community.
@ebonyjanice
A womanist scholar, author and founder of think-space Black Girl Mixtape.
@ckyourprivilege
A guide founded by speaker Myisha T. Hill that features different anti-racism educators each day.
@minaa_b
A licensed psychotherapist, mental health consultant and founder of the digital magazine Respect Your Struggle.
@hippie_heathen
A yoga instructor, mental health advocate and founder of Sisters of Yoga Collective.
@hannahbronfman
A New York entrepreneur, founder of Health Beauty Fitness and Global Adidas Ambassador.
@samswey
An activist, data scientist and found of Campaign Zero, who specializes in mapping police violence.
@freckledwhileblack
An Atlanta-based writer at Elle USA, who organized with Inspire Justice, Justice League NYC and COMMUNITYx.
@angiethomas
A young adult author who published the New York Times-bestselling The Hate U Give in 2017.
@blackandwell
An independent magazine and online community dedicated to supporting a mindful, revolutionary Black lifestyle.
@myleik
A leader in the Black beauty space, podcaster, and founder of CURLBOX.
@beetsbybrooke
A medical student who shares plant-based diet advice.
@bb.arrington
A wellness and nutrition coach with an emphasis on sustainability.
@blackgirlinom
A meditative platform designed to help womxn of color feel liberated and seen.
@domrobxrts
A Gen Z graphic designer whose iconic red typeface on a white background has gone viral.
@atoffany
A cartoonist and illustrator with work showcased at Disney and The New York Times.
@faithevebee
A former Yale trackstar, conservationist, freelance writer and documentarian.
@iamrachelricketts
A lawyer, racial justice educator, and author, with work in published in Huffington Post and Buzzfeed and multiple presentations at SXSW.
@tanehisispcoates
A longtime national correspondent at The Atlantic, with a number of bestselling books, including the National Book Award-winning Between the World and Me.
@laylafsaad
A podcaster, founder of Good Ancestor Academy and author of the book Me and White Supremacy.
@moemotivate
An expert in anti-racism education and founder of Shine Brighter Together a community dedicated to diverse unity.
@onegreatvegan
An actress and vegan chef who posts “musical recipes.”
@ogorchukwuu
A Nigerian American designer, researcher and writer working in wellness.
@aurorajames
A businesswoman who runs a handcrafted clothing store Brother Vellies in Williamsburg, and launched the 15 Percent Pledge petition.
@bykwest
A travel influencer who speaks out for inclusivity in wellness.
@morganharpernichols
A Christian musician who now works full time as an activist, artist and speaker.
@blackcoffeewithwhitefriends
Marcie Walker is the multidisciplinary creator behind the account Black Coffee with White Friends, and companion website, as well as @mockingbirdhistorylessons.
@blackandembodied
Alishia McCullough is a licensed mental health therapist.
@_stak5_
A basketball player who spent 14 seasons in the NBA, most notably with the Golden State Warriors, and a lifelong friend to George Floyd.
@ihartericka
Ericka Hart is a queer activist, breast cancer survivor and sex educator.
@youngblackartists
A platform determined to bring more exposure to the talent of young Black artists.
@ohhappydani
A sketch artist who specializes in anti-racism illustrations.
@sosheslays
A lifestyle blog focused on encouraging mental health for Black women.
@ibramxk
A historian who teaches at American University, contributes to The Atlantic, and penned the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America.
@mynameisjessamyn
A body-positivist yoga instructor, podcaster and partner to The New York Times.
@sweetpotatosoul
A vegan chef, blogger, YouTuber and author of Sweet Potato Soul: 100 Easy Vegan Recipes for the Southern Flavors of Smoke, Sugar, Spice, and Soul: a Cookbook.
@thEMANacho
A former NFL linebacker and current contributor to ESPN’s morning show Get UP! who just launched a web series called “Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man.
@austinchanning
A speaker, creator of video series The Next Question, and author of I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness.
@survivepunish
An organization working to end the criminalization of survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
@yamiche
A journalist currently working as The White House correspondent for PBS NewsHour.
@benjaminpdixon
A podcaster and racial justice educator.
@jaboukie
A stand-up comedian, writer, SoundCloud rapper and correspondent to The Daily Show who offers comic takes on racial injustice.
@deray
A author, civil rights activist and former school administrator who was active in the Ferguson protests.
@theundefeated
An ESPN vertical established in 2016 that explores the intersections of race, sports and culture.
@adamserwer
A staff writer at The Atlantic with a focus on politics, who has received awards from the National Association of Black Journalists, The Root and the Society of Professional Journalists.
@innocence
A nonprofit founded in 1992 that exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing.
@breenewsome
Bree Newsome is a multidisciplinary artist and activist. You’ve definitely seen her before.
@colsonwhitehead
Colson Whitehead is a writer who has won the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction twice.
@wkamaubell
W. Kamau Bell is a comedian, writer, director, documentarian, producer and more, which means you’ve probably already run into his work.
@rebel19
Rebecca Carroll is a cultural critic, Editor of Special Projects at WNYC and host of the podcast Come Through with Rebecca Carroll.
@jelani9
Jelani Cobb is a professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 2015.
@alwaystheself
Crystal Marie Fleming is an author, social scientist and associate professor of Sociology and Africana Studies at SUNY Stony Brook.
@nhannahjones
Nikole Hannah-Jones is a reporter for The New York Times Magazine who won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for creating “The 1619 Project.”
@clintsmithiii
Clint Smith is an Emerson Fellow at New America and the author of the upcoming nonfiction book How the Word Is Passed.
@morganjerkins
Morgan Jerkins is a senior editor at Medium’s ZORA and author of This Will Be My Undoing as well as the upcoming Wandering in Strange Lands: A Daughter of the Great Migration Reclaims Her Roots.
@taranaburke
An activist from The Bronx who started the Me Too movement in 2006.
@gabrieljbump
A Chicago-based author whose coming-of-age novel Everywhere You Don’t Belong was one of the Times’ most anticipated titles of 2020.
@jessewashington
A Senior Writer for ESPN’s The Undefeated.
@aliciagarza
Alicia Garza is the head of Black Futures Lab and one of the co-creators of Black Lives Matter.
@israhirsi
A teenage climate activist and co-founder of U.S. Youth Climate Strike.
@mspackyetti
An NBC News and MSNBC contributor, co-host of Pod Save the People and member of President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing.
@berniceking
Bernice A. King is CEO of The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center and the youngest child of the civil rights leader and Coretta Scott King.
@theferocity
A multidisciplinary writer who pens everything from acclaimed books of poetry (Prelude to Bruise) to harrowing nonfiction (How We Fight For Our Lives).
@sifill_ldf
Sherrilyn Ifill is the president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
@jeremyoharris
Jeremy O. Harris is a playwright known for Slave Play and Daddy.
@audraequalitymc
Audra McDonald is a musical theater icon with six Tony Award wins, more than any other actor.
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