8 Black Activists Who Are Making History Right Now
Black History Month is here. It’s important to remember the achievements of Black people in different fields to not only celebrate their legacy, but to also learn from them. While we’re commemorating people like Harriet Tubman and Thurgood Marshall, we should also give Black people our support in the present. Here’s a list of Black activists who are making history right now with their dedication to promoting racial justice and intersectional social change.
Sonya Renee Taylor
Sonya is a poet, spoken word artist, and social justice activist who founded The Body Is Not an Apology movement in 2011. Through use of radical self-love, the movement seeks to help marginalized people heal from pain caused by systems of oppression. She promotes inclusion of Black and other marginalized people in the body positivity movement as well. If you need a pick-me-up after a rough day, give a listen to one of Sonya’s powerful TED talks.
You can find Sonya’s books and podcasts on her website or check out her Instagram for additional content.
Stephanie Thomas
Stephanie is a disability fashion stylist and advocate for a more inclusive fashion industry. After finding that designers in the fashion industry were not interested in designing for people with disabilities, Stephanie set out on a mission to promote clothing that is stylish and accessible. As the founder of Cur8able, a content platform that features disability fashion, accessible looks, and adaptive clothing, she is challenging negative perceptions of people with disabilities.
Learn more about disability fashion on Stephanie’s platform Cur8able or follow her Instagram for her thoughts on the fashion industry.
Raquel Willis
Raquel is a transgender activist and writer who founded Black Trans Circles, a program that strives to build and develop the leadership of Black transgender women in an effort to combat anti-trans violence. She works to end violence against Black transgender women while creating healing spaces for the community. Raquel was also a national organizer for the Transgender Law Center, the largest American transgender-led civil rights organization in the United States.
Raquel is active on Instagram and some of her talks can be found on Youtube.
Samuel Sinyangwe
Samuel is a policy analyst and data scientist who is dedicated to fighting systemic racism with research-based solutions and data. He is the co-founder of Campaign Zero, an organization that empowers activists with in-depth, accessible research to help end police violence. Samuel is also a co-host of the podcast Pod Save the People that discusses social inequalities and grassroots activism.
Follow the data on Samuel’s Twitter page or see infographics about police violence on Campaign Zero’s Instagram page.
Leah Thomas
Leah is an environmentalist who founded the Intersectional Environmentalist platform, which is a content platform that advocates for environmental justice and inclusivity. Her work aims to make environmental education accessible and intersectional. She is also passionate about sustainable living and radical self care.
The Intersectional Environmentalism Instagram page is chock-full of engaging infographics. You can also keep up with Leah on her Instagram.
Elizabeth Yeampierre
Elizabeth Yeampierre is an attorney, climate justice activist, and co-chair of the Climate Justice Alliance. As a non-governmental collective, the Climate Justice Alliance organizes frontline communities against environmental destruction, while exposing climate change solutions that worsen social inequality. She is also the Executive Director of UPROSE, a Latino community-based organization that promotes sustainability and government accountability.
Elizabeth regularly shares her thoughts on racial and climate justice on her Twitter account.
Ericka Hart
Ericka is a sex educator and advocate for racial, social, and gender justice. She explores the intersections of social inequalities in her teachings in relation to being a Black queer femme who survived bilateral breast cancer. These include topics such as medical racism, radical self-love, and body positivity. Ericka is a co-host of Hoodrat to Headwrap: A Decolonized Podcast, which dismantles white supremacy and celebrates Black queer love.
Experience Ericka’s teachings first-hand via her webinars or her Instagram.
Rachel Cargle
Rachel is a writer and activist whose intersectional works explore feminism through racial experience. She founded The Loveland Foundation which offers free therapy to Black women and girls. Her platform, The Great Unlearn, seeks to dismantle the systemic oppression of BIPOC people by teaching history through a critical lens. Rachel also founded the Elizabeth’s Bookshop & Writing Centre which features books written by marginalized voices.
You can get to know Rachel more on her Instagram page.
Kimberlé Crenshaw
Kimberlé is a lawyer, academic, and civil rights advocate who is famous for using an intersectional lens to look at the law. She is also known for helping found the field of critical race theory, which aims to dismantle the power of white supremacy and systemic racism. Kimberlé is the founder of the African American Policy Forum, which is a group that raises awareness for police violence against Black women through the #SayHerName social campaign.
Kimberlé also founded Columbia Law School's Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies and is the president of the Center for Intersectional Justice.
Black activists are dedicating their lives to creating a more inclusive society, and many of them are providing education for free on their social platforms. If you’re able to, don’t forget to support their work tangibly with monthly donations or share their work with your circles. Let’s continue supporting Black people beyond Black History Month.