There can be no discussion of the year 2020 without the mention of the name George Floyd, the 46-year-old black man who was brutally murdered at the hands of Derek Chauvin and three other police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota this past May. And while George Floyd did not ask to be martyred, his brutal and untimely death awakened the world, and was undoubtedly the inciting incident for what many are calling the civil rights movement of 2020. Although it’s tough to say definitively if the uprisings we’ve seen this year can be compared to the civil rights movement of the 1960s (as that movement tenaciously lasted for more than 10 years), it is fair to say that the Black Lives Matter movement is certainly moving in that direction. And if, in fact, we are headed down that historic route, it would absolutely be because of the bold, radical, unapologetic voices guiding us, leading us down the path to revolution.
It is no secret that black women and femmes have played a central role in the current Black Lives Matter movement—after all, it was a 17-year-old Black woman, Darnella Frazier, who bravely filmed George Floyd’s death, providing the world with the concrete video footage that made the misconduct surrounding his murder indisputable. But Black women and femmes have always had a unique perspective into structural injustice, probably because they have always been at the receiving end of most of it. Black women’s rights and interests routinely take a back seat to those of white women and cis black men. As such, you may have heard (whether directly from the source, Malcolm X, or indirectly from a pretty good source, Beyoncé) that “the most disrespected person in America is the black woman.” And perhaps it is because of this regular disrespect that Black women and femmes have sought to reclaim agency and use their voices to speak.
Over the past few months, Black women and femmes from all industries have been using their social media platforms to mobilize and educate the masses, creating a revolution for the digital age. They are leading the anti-racism conversation by saying what many people don’t have the courage to say; pushing the boundary and not accepting performative or shallow attempts at change; ensuring that the revolution will be televised (via Instagram), and that it will be inclusive and intersectional. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are some of the Black women and femmes that I follow who regularly challenge me to learn and do better—I highly recommend you consider following them as well.
Sonya Renee Taylor, IG (@sonyareneetaylor)
If you are like me, you first encountered Sonya Renee Taylor back in June after a video of hers went viral. The video was in response to another viral video on Tik Tok, which featured a well-intentioned yet slightly misguided teen attempting to have “the anti-racism talk” with her family. While most of the internet was applauding Haley for having any semblance of a talk with her family at all, Sonya Renee Taylor’s response video challenged us all to think more critically about what exactly it was that Haley and her family were debating: “Haley was arguing with her parents about whether or not Black people were worthy of life. The fact that that is a conversation is the problem.” Taylor was able to shift the conversation from the localized issue of Black lives simply mattering (a conversation that really shouldn’t be a conversation at all) to the more comprehensive, structural issue: “the delusions of white supremacy.” And that, in a nutshell, is Sonya Renee Taylor’s enthrall—she has the wonderfully unique ability to shed light on matters that challenge and defy the obvious perspective. In addition to her keen insights concerning racism, blackness, and white supremacy, she also commits to spreading discourse surrounding gender, fatphobia, and radical self love. So if you are looking to learn, be challenged, and pick up some lessons on how to love yourself radically and without apology, you must dive into the work of Sonya Renee Taylor and follow her on Instagram.
Noname, Twitter (@noname)
if we believe black lives matter, we must also believe capitalism needs to be destroyed. as long as that system is in place and maintained by powerful elites, black people will die forever.
globally.
— 🌱 (@noname) July 26, 2020
Admittedly, it sort of feels weird telling you to follow Noname, because her whole thing is that we should divest from structural systems, celebrity culture being one of them. With that being said… you should follow Noname. Noname has been making music and uplifting POC interests and voices for years now, but she gained mainstream traction this past year. She’s been a dominant voice in the digital Black liberation conversation, regularly challenging her audience to read, learn, and think for themselves. What’s most compelling about Noname’s Twitter presence is she uses it as a means to not only talk the talk, but also walk the walk. You can find her calling out imperialism, the industrial prison complex, and the patriarchy; but, you can also find her calling herself out, owning past mistakes and gaps of knowledge she had before she learned better. As she poignantly points out, “growth is an embarrassing yet necessary part of the process.”
Perhaps Noname’s biggest digital moment occurred this past June, when rapper J. Cole thought it would be constructive to derail from the movement and drop a tremendously odd single, accusing Noname of using a “queen tone” and thinking “ better than” him and other rappers in her efforts to speak up against structural oppression on Twitter. Noname’s eloquent retort came in the form of a 1 minute and 10 second song, the thesis essentially being: “he really ’bout to write about me when the world is in smokes?” With concision and flair, Noname defended herself while effortlessly redirecting the conversation back to the serious issues at hand. Noname uses her Twitter presence in a similar way, calling out problematic mainstream pop culture while consistently shedding light on critical societal issues. So if you want to be a part of her “new vanguard,” follow Noname on Twitter and consider joining her book club.
Ericka Hart, IG (@ihartericka)
I wish I could say that I’ve had the pleasure of following and engaging with Ericka Hart’s content long before this year, but alas, I, too, fell victim to bandwagon culture, and only discovered this dope account this past May. A self-proclaimed “racial/social/gender justice disruptor,” “sex educator,” and “breast cancer survivor,” Ericka Hart uses their social media platform to cover tons of ground on the journey to liberation and is, by far, one of the most engaging accounts I follow. Ericka Hart’s social media presence is unique in that their dialogue concerning social justice is dynamic—not only do they foster conversations that discuss plain truths about race and Blackness, but they also add unique depth to the discussion by examining matters of colorism and ableism. However, what specifically drew me to Ericka Hart’s account was their advocacy for the protection and uplifting of Black lives that exist beyond the scope of cis Black men. They were a dominant voice in May insisting that we not only demand justice for George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, but for Breonna Taylor, a Black woman, Tony McDade, a Black trans man, and countless other Black women and trans folks that have been murdered at the hands of injustice. I, myself, am constantly challenged by Ericka Hart, as they constantly provide the reminder that the revolution cannot be complete or effective if it does not seek to liberate all Black lives. Ericka Hart’s Instagram presence is also a healthy one to follow because they also use it as a platform to celebrate Black joy and Black love—regularly posting content with their partner, Ebony. It’s a radical reminder that the Black story is not one of plight but one of joy and abundance. So do yourself a favor and follow Ericka Hart.
Ziwe, IG (@ziwef)
One of the most powerful adages that has come out of the last couple of months is “the revolution has many lanes.” And I think it’s safe to say that the lane of the revolution that’s “activism through humor” has been monopolized by writer and comedian, Ziwe Fumudoh. Hosting a weekly show on Instagram Live, Ziwe attracts crowds in the thousands as they eagerly watch as she talks with notable people—predominantly white people—about race in America and skillfully baits them into an incorrect, often cringeworthy answer. What’s most fascinating about Ziwe’s show is that her practice of “baiting” really isn’t baiting at all—she just asks questions and simply waits for answers. Without fail, and despite days of preparation and sometimes even tangible notecards, guests will always say the wrong thing—revealing that even the most well-prepared, well-intentioned white people have some kind of implicit bias that they need to reckon with. Previous guests have included infamous white women like Caroline Calloway, Alison Roman, and Alyssa Milano, but Ziwe has also interviewed people of other races, like Jeremy O. Harris, forcing him to discuss his use of Black women’s bodies on stage in his seminal work, Slave Play. At the end of every interview, Ziwe asks her guest what the audience has been wondering the whole time: why the hell did you agree to come on this show? And the guest’s answer is almost always the same: part of doing the work is being made to feel uncomfortable and humbling yourself in order to learn. And that’s the Ziwe influence—she’s created a public platform for those willing to be challenged and learn, while allowing her audience to heal through community and catharsis as they watch the process take place. If you’re not familiar with Ziwe, please join us in the year 2020 and give her a follow!
Rachel Cargle, IG (@rachel.cargle)
If there is any account that I am 90% certain you’ve encountered over the past few months, it’s Rachel Cargle’s—and it should be Rachel Cargle’s, as she uses her platform predominantly as a means for education and activism. Upon scrolling through her IG feed, one of the first things of note is that her academic and mobilization efforts far precede this year’s events. Cargle has been guiding the conversation on race and womanhood in support of the revolution for years, even though many of us have only come around recently to receive her words. She regularly promotes the work of “unlearning” through learning, and curates monthly reading lists and lectures via her online platform The Great Unlearn (a patreon you should subscribe to!).
But what sets Rachel Cargle apart from other activists is that a central part of her work is providing tools and resources for her audience to ensure that learning doesn’t stop at required reading, but is further translated into action. For example, when much of the world was posting open letters to their schools, universities, and workplaces to expose them for unjust practices and racist ideals, Rachel Cargle took to her Instagram account to take it one step further: providing her audience with a template for how they, too, can hold the institutions in their lives accountable for structural injustice. In addition to these accountability templates, she also curated a 30-day Do the Work challenge and posted tangible ways to decolonize your bookshelf, continuing the idea that activism must be combined with action in order to really effect change and mobilize a revolution. So if you’re looking to become a student in the masterclass on effective activism, follow Rachel Cargle on Instagram.
A prevailing question on the minds and lips of many this past year has been: “How long will this movement last?” “Is this movement just a moment?” But it’s been three months since the murder of George Floyd, and the movement is still prospering. While the momentum has, naturally, oscillated, its heartbeat is still strong. Why? Because we have leaders: Black women and femmes, the new generation of activists—our new vanguard—who have committed themselves to the endurance of this movement. While it may be easy at times to be defeatist and feel overcome and overwhelmed by how far we have to go, optimism lies in the comfort that we are being led in this revolution by some of the brightest, most talented minds out there. And we can access all of them through the proximity of our smartphones. We simply have no choice but to stan these women and femmes (and send them some coin to pay them for their labor).
Images: Angelo Moleele / Unsplash; sonyareneetaylor, ihartericka, ziwef, Rachel.cargle / Instagram; Noname / Twitter
It’s 2019, and as per usual, women are here to slay. Because the world is the way that it is at the moment (a legit nightmare), activism is playing a key role in politics. Sh*t has got to change, and women are out here kicking ass and taking names to make sure that it does. So many women are doing such amazing work, so we made a list of some our favorite badasses who are working to make the world a more tolerable place. Check them out, follow them, and be inspired them. And then play “Run the World” by Beyoncé on repeat for the rest of eternity.
Hanne Gaby Odiele
This queen is a intersex Belgian model who is proudly making the world aware of her experience. She was told from a young age to keep the fact that she is intersex a secret, as if it was something to be ashamed of. Intersex is the seldom talked about letter in the LGBTQIA acronym, and Hanne is bringing more visibility to the identity in her activism. She partnered with InterACT to advocate for intersex human rights, and is vocal about how forcing intersex children to undergo surgery is a human rights violation. She’s bringing a voice to a community that hasn’t had many of those, and she’s doing it all while being a literal model. We stan.
Brittany Packnett
Brittany is an educator, organizer, writer, and speaker who focuses on the intersection of justice and culture. As a Black woman, she is a leader of social justice and advocacy for women of color. Also, Barack Obama stated that she is a “voice that is going to be making a difference for years to come,” which is v casual. Brittany is the Vice President at Teach For America’s National Community Alliances, where she leads partnerships with communities of color. She’s also the co-founder of Campaign Zero, a policy platform that aims to end police brutality. As a prominent Ferguson protester, Brittany was appointed as a member of the Ferguson Commission and President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. She also has a v popular Tedx Talk called “It’s about time to value Women of Color in Leadership.” Damn, is there anything she doesn’t do?
Yara Shahidi
Yara is an Iranian-American actress, model, and activist. You may recognize her from her role as Zoey on the hit TV show Black-ish. She is the founder of Eighteen x 18, a platform that encouraged 18-year-olds to vote for the first time in the midterm elections. So at just 18, she was actually making America great again. And it doesn’t end there. She has another organization called Yara’s Club, which is partnered with Young Women’s Leadership Network (YWLN) of New York, and provides online mentorships with the goal of ending poverty through education. At 18, I was literally just sitting in my room and applying too much lip gloss while watching The O.C. and yelling at my mom.
Malala Yousafzai
Malala is a Pakistani activist who has received international attention for her fight to make sure women in Pakistan receive an education, especially in her native town of native Swat Valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the Taliban had banned women from going to school. She was also the youngest winner of the Nobel Prize when she received it in 2014, which is incred. Because of her feminist activism, a member of the Taliban attempted to assassinate her. She survived, and made it her life mission to continue her work. She founded the Malala Fund, a nonprofit organization that works to ensure free and safe education for girls. Amazing.
Marley Dias
Marley is a teen activist who set out to change the world at the age of 11. Sick of reading books that only feature white people, Marely launched a campaign called #1000BlackGirlBooks. Her goal was to collect and donate 1,000 books that feature black girls as the main character, and she has been highly successful. She has collected over 9,000 books and now has a book deal of her own. She is now 12 years old. With a book deal. That is…so impressive.
Tarana Burke
Tarana is a black civil rights activist who hails from the Bronx, and you probably know her as the founder of the #MeToo Movement. She coined the phrase back in 2006, and used it to bring awareness to sexual abuse in our society. As we know, the term made its way back into society in 2017 and has changed the world for the better. Because of Tarana Burke, survivors of sexual assault and harassment have found a voice and been heard.
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Akilah Hughes
Akilah is a comedian and activist who uses her platform to speak out against today’s politics. Her Youtube channel “Akilah Obviously” has 159k followers, and includes sketch videos that use comedy to make social commentary. Her Twitter is fire, and you should absolutely follow her. She’s been blocked by Tomi Lahren, which is iconic. Akilah has a distinct voice and is using her comedy to educate the world on how dumb we are. We love her for it.
I think the 10 year "how hard did age hit you" challenge really highlights how much better makeup for women of color has gotten. We were all good looking, we just only had shitty shades to choose from.
— Akilah Hughes (@AkilahObviously) January 16, 2019
Delaney Tarr & Emma Gonzalez
More teen activists making the rest of us look bad! Delaney and Emma are both survivors of the Parkland shooting who have channeled their grief and turned it into action. After living through a traumatic tragedy, both of these young women decided to take a stand against gun violence in America by organizing “March For Our Lives,” one of the largest youth protests in the US since the Vietnam War. At just 17, they became the faces for gun reform in America, and both of them have made it clear that they plan to continue towards change through activism.
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PROTECT KIDS, NOT GUNS. Shirt: @chnge Necklace: @thegivingkeys ????: @adamalhanti
Mari Copeny AKA Little Miss Flint
Okay this list is really starting to make me feel bad about myself. At just 8 years old, Mari wrote a letter to then President Obama asking him to meet with her about the crisis in Flint, Michigan. Obama responded by making a trip to Flint to meet her and help the people of her community. God, I miss Obama. Now 10 years old, Mari is still working to help out the people of Flint. She raised over $10,000 for students to get backpacks for school, and partnered with an organization called “Pack Your Back” to help underprivileged kids receive all of the school supplied they need. She’s also the youngest Women’s March Youth Ambassador, National Youth Ambassador for the Climate March, and Youth Ambassador for Equality for Her. And I’m literally crying while writing this because she is so inspiring and adorable.
Julissa Arce
Julissa is a contributor for Crooked Media and one of the hosts of Crooked Conversations, a podcast on that covers news stories that aren’t making headlines but are heavily impacting the world. Julissa is a prominent voice and leader for immigrants in the US. A Mexican immigrant herself, she moved to America at the age of 11 and was undocumented for 15 years, even as she climbed her way to the top on Wall Street while working at Goldman Sachs. She uses her inspirational story to help other immigrants achieve their dreams. She is the co-creator and chairwoman of Ascend Educational Fund (AEF), a college scholarship and mentorship program for immigrant students in New York City. Oh, and she’s also a best-selling author for her book MY (UNDERGROUND) AMERICAN DREAM.
Dana Suchow
Dana is the co-founder of The Ripple, a non-profit that aims to create a collective of women to empower other women to make waves in their community. Love that, love women. Dana is an intersectional feminist whose personal passion is body positivity. She uses her personal Instagram account (@dothehotpants) to promote body positivity and runs workshops on how to raise body positive kids. Her feminism is intersectional, and so is her work.
Vilissa Thompson
Vilissa is a fighter for disability rights, and is the founder of Ramp Your Voice, an organization that promotes empowerment, education, inclusion, and self-advocacy for disabled people. She is an advocate for more intersectionality in the movement for rights for the disabled, and is known to bring attention to how women and people of color are often left out of the conversation. She created the #DisabilityTooWhite hashtag and uses it on her social media pages to bring awareness to the cause. And on top of all that, she’s a social worker. Incredible.
For me (not speaking for anyone else with this), the only people I let get a pass at staring are children & old people. If you’re between the ages of 13-80 – do better. Adjust your gaze – yes, I’m that fine to look at. Glad you noticed.
— Vilissa Thompson (@VilissaThompson) January 18, 2019
Brb, becoming an activist ASAP.
