Do us a quick favor: go through the list of influencers you follow on Instagram and count how many are black.
As the protests around the world continue after the death of George Floyd, the Minnesota man who was killed after police officer Derek Chauvin used his knee to pin Floyd to the ground by his neck during Floyd's arrest, an internal reckoning has begun for many non-black people, especially as they continue to use social media in an attempt to support and uplift the Black Lives Matter movement in an impactful way.
But black voices matter as well, with the ever-growing influencer industry—wellness, fashion, lifestyle, fitness—still nowhere near as diverse or inclusive as it should be.
To help you seek out content creators, we've put together a list of 25 black woman to follow for inspiration in all facets of your life, from recipes you should be trying to workouts to break a sweat over to anti-racist courses to sign up for.
Activists:
Rachel Elizabeth Cargle: You've probably heard of this celebrated author and academic, with her powerful words on the need to be anti-racist going viral recently. Rachel is the founder of The Great Unlearn (a community dedicated to unlearning with resources and syllabi provided monthly), The Loveland Foundation (which seeks to make mental health accessible for Black women) and Elizabeth's Bookshop + Writing Centre (an literacy centre that amplifies, promotes and celebrates work from marginalized creators). She also has a free 30-day #DotheWork course that can guide you through becoming an educated ally that we highly recommend starting with.
Layla F. Saad: The author of New York Times Best-Seller Me and White Supremacy, Layla is an esteemed anti-racism educator and international speaker. She also offers master classes in anti-racism and allyship through Good Ancestor Academy, as well as hosting the Good Ancestor podcast that features interviews with culture-shapers.
Monique Melton: An anti-racism educator and host of the Shine Brighter Together podcast, Monique, founded the Shine Brighter Together, which is dedicated to creating healthy relationships & diverse unity.
Blair Amadeus Imani: The co-host of the America Did What?! podcast and the author of Modern Herstory and Making Our Way Home, Blair is an outspoken queer Muslim activist whose TEDxBoulder talk, "Queer & Muslim: Nothing to Reconcile," went viral in 2019.
Food Bloggers
Jenné Claiborne: A vegan chef and the founder of the Sweet Potato Soul food blog and YouTube channel, Jenné offers easy, affordable and delicious vegan meals with Southern flavors, and she released her cookbook, Sweet Potato Soul, in 2018.
Charlotte: In need of some inspo when it comes to clean eating or in a rut during your Whole 30 journey? Turn to Charlotte, a Minneapolis-based foodie who runs the Confessions of a Clean Foodie blog, which provides healthy and delicious recipes that have simple ingredients but lots of flavor, along with safe beauty recommendations.
Marissa Allen: The blogger behind First and Full, mom-of-two Marissa shares a variety of recipes, from affordable meals for the whole family to Whole 30, and gives her followers a look inside the life of an NFL wife as her husband, Jeff Allen, is an offensive lineman for the Houston Texans. (You'll definitely want to check out her tailgate recipes.)
She's also the founder of a small business in Texas, The Cookie Society. Yes, she created a society dedicated to cookies, and we bow down to her.
Catherine Perez: The registered dietitian shares recipes and tips to make a healthy plant-based lifestyle accessible for anyone. (We recently tried her cannellini tahini stew and highly recommend!)
Tabitha Brown: For vegan recipes served with one of the best smiles on the Internet, turn to Tabitha. Warm, inviting and fun, there's a reason Essence called her "America's mom."
Fitness:
Deja Riley: A former backup dancer for Beyonce (NBD!), Deja is the host of PopSugar's Dance FitSugar and her workouts combine dancing and shadowboxing (she created #DanceOuttheBox), all set to great music and with great motivation.
Tae-León: If you are craving an at-home workout that will have you sweating all over your living room, check out the Standford student's feed for a wide variety of circuits that target different body parts and live workouts.
Jessamyn Stanley: Yoga is for Every Body: that is Jessamyn's philosophy, with the popular yoga instructor creating The Underbelly, an at-home yoga app, writing Every Body Yoga and hosting the Dear Jessamyn advice podcast.
Lifestyle:
Hannah Fallis Bronfman: Last year, the lifestyle guru with a loyal following on social media released Do What Feels Good, her book that provides "recipes, remedies and routines to treat your body right." Hannah is a DJ, the founder of HBFit and beauty expert aka the ultimate millennial triple threat.
Fatima Dedrickson: "Finding the good, even when it's hard," is listed in Fatima's Instagram bio, which documents her life as a mom, wife and fitness lover.
Courtney Quinn: You'd be hard-pressed to find a brighter and more colorful Instagram feed than Courtney's, with the Color Queen committing to a new color each month and committing to it through fashion, photoshoots and more. You won't be able to stop scrolling, left in awe of her creativity and infectious energy.
Oyin: Warning: scrolling Oyin's social media feed will cause serious wanderlust. The blogger and social media manager brings followers along on her travels while also sharing her daily life back in Austin.
Ayana Lage: Based in Tampa, Ayana is a lifestyle blogger who shares her musings on fashion, marriage and pregnancy loss awareness. Expecting a baby girl in August, Ayana owns Lage Creative Company, a marketing business and offers tips to aspiring content creators.
Janea Brown: Hi Janea, may we please move into your gorgeous home filled with lush plants and swoonworthy decor ASAP?
Wellness:
Shan Boodram: "Dr. Ruth meets Rihanna." Need we say more to get you to follow this sex therapist?
Sophia Roe: From plant-based recipes to intimate conversations to sensitive musings, Sophia aims to make the world of wellness more diverse.
Les Alfred: Through her Balanced Black Girl podcast, Les highlights and discusses the wellness industry from a Black woman's perspective, welcoming other Black women to talk about their experiences and expertise.
Mia: Just reading the bio on Mia's Instagram page, @the_healthlete, makes us love her: "High vibe living through conscious + inclusive wellness." The yogi offers inspiration when it comes to food (mostly plant-based), treating your body kindly and living intentionally (#healthiswellth).
Kira West: Travel. Fitness. Self-Care. Kira offers tips and insight into all that and more through her page, which aims to make the wellness space more inclusive.
Art:
Morgan Harper Nichols: If you've ever been on Instagram than you've likely seen some of Morgan's work. With 1.3 million followers and growing, Morgan offers daily reminders, affirmations and poetry through her art, and also hosts her own podcast, Morgan Harper Nichols.
Danielle Coke: The 25-year-old artist shares vibrant and colorful drawings, with many recently going viral as they address allyship, anti-racism and justice-related pieces, with all of her prints selling out on her website.
"E! stands in solidarity with the black community against systemic racism and oppression experienced every day in America," the network said in a statement on May 31. "We owe it to our black staff, talent, production partners and viewers to demand change and accountability. To be silent is to be complicit. #BlackLivesMatter."