Happy Black History Month!
I have never felt so compelled to be part or take notice of Black History Month until my unfortunate ordeal in Greece this year. Read the post – Arrested At The Acropolis: What Really Happened
It saddened me that people can see colour and not take time to actually see us for our truth and how amazing we are in the world. As black people, our history is raw, and it’s worth celebrating.
As black people, I don’t think we are celebrated enough, and as Black Bloggers, we are often left unnoticed. I wanted to use my platform today and showcase several black bloggers for Black History Month. Please read below the amazing black bloggers that are impacting our community!
Black History Month is such a great time to celebrate the people that have made an impact in the black community but also remember what others have done to pave the way for us today!
Sarah Toyin
What are the difficulties/challenges you have faced as a black blogger?
As a black blogger, I would not really say I have faced any challenges perse directly. due to being a black blogger so I have nothing to contribute here.
How has blogging made you think and grow as an individual?
As a travel blogger at www.sarahtoyin.com. I provide information on teaching English in Korea, solo travel advice, general travel tips and guides as well as accommodation reviews and tips. Blogging has challenged me and helped me grow as an individual because I am here to serve and help people with their travels.
It is not actually about me but how I can make others lives easier through the information I am providing. This has allowed me to think of others more than myself and that is how I have grown as an individual through blogging.
How do you think the black blogging community can contribute more to Black History Month?
This is an interesting question, perhaps blog about it more, putting on events to celebrate it. and collaborations like this. As much as I love that there is a month for black history, I would really love for us to celebrate the history we have all year round.
I know its cheesy to say but every month is Black History month to me. I make a conscious effort to support black owed businesses whenever I can, all year round.
Yasmin Tells
I’m a travel blogger who focuses on travel in West Africa in particular. I relocated from the UK to the country of my origin Sierra Leone 10 months ago and I use the platform to share information and tips on Sierra Leone. I also used to work in Senegal so I have some information on there alongside other neighbouring countries such as my trip to Ghana last month for the Chale Wote Festival.
What are the difficulties/challenges you have faced as a black blogger?
As its new industry, I find myself cultivating and trying to understand it like many bloggers. I haven’t faced any challenges as of yet if I’m completely honest. However, I am aware of cases of black bloggers being paid less in the industry. But tell me something new!
How has blogging made you think and grow as an individual?
I think it has in many ways subconsciously affected my thought processes, for example, I pay attention to detail more than I used to. That could be because I’m a content creator, I think more about the why, the outcome and the experience. I do believe all of these factors come from the art of storytelling also known today as blogging.
Black history month is about celebrating all that’s black. It’s about black people also educating themselves about their past- not slavery but all the great ways that we have contributed to the advancement of the human race. It is a month to remember how great we are both women and men. If we unite, we can be even greater. It is a time to rediscover the love that we should have for our melanin. We are a beautiful group of varied people. We are creative, we are strong, and we are resilient.
Melissa The Island Girl
I’m a travel, fashion and lifestyle blogger/content creator. You can find me at www.theislandgirl.co.uk.
How has blogging made you think and grow as an individual?
My blog has made me braver. I’m more fearless and I’m learning to not worry about what others may think of me or what I am doing. I have attended events alone and have met some wonderful people. I’ve connected with people on Instagram and Twitter. I have become more expressive. Through content creation, I am exposed to different mediums of capturing moments. Most importantly my blog is helping me to discover me. I am definitely learning about myself-all the things I am capable of doing and all the inner boundaries I am able to push.
How do you think the black blogging community can contribute more to Black History Month?
To be honest, just like this. Highlighting how much of us there are in these creative spaces and giving us a voice and a platform to be seen and heard. Thank you for sharing this brilliant idea of featuring other black bloggers!
Our history is too rich, royal and powerful to be condensed in one month. I make it a point to celebrate my blackness everyday. However I do appreciate that our history does have its own space on the calendar. But we shouldn’t wait until October (UK) & February(US) to celebrate our greatness. Its an everyday thing.
Jennas World View
How has blogging made you think and grow as an individual?
Blogging has stretched me. It’s been my personal therapy that has helped me understand so much about myself and my journey of womanhood and blackness. Being able to use my personal experiences for content has allowed me to reflect on a deeper level. In addition to that running a self-hosted blog has taught me lots of new transferable skills. I’m constantly learning.
How do you think the black blogging community can contribute more to Black History Month?
I think that the black blogging community shouldn’t shy away from creating content that showcases our community. The power in our creative minds is next level phenomenal. We have the ability to bring our stories, views, experiences, current news to life. We should always aim to control the narrative and not be afraid to create content that promotes, edifies and educates those within our community. Nobody knows our stories better than we do. Black history month is the best time for all of us to contribute.
Black History month is an opportunity to “showcase”. There are so many Black people who have done and are doing phenomenal things and we often don’t get to hear about that unless someone is being “showcased”. It’s a time to celebrate how special we are, how talented we are, how resilient we are, how smart we are, and how beautiful we are!
Cynthia Clarke
During my travels, I see and meet a lot of people but I don’t see as many black people as I would like, especially if I’m travelling somewhere other than the Caribbean. With Sojourner Moxie, I’m seeking to change that narrative by providing travel tips, destination travel guides, step by step instructions on how to start travelling, inspiration, and showcasing out of the box adventures. It’s a big world out there…let’s go check it out! Another issue some Black women may face in regards to travel is finding someone to travel with. Through my travels, I‘m showing them it’s ok to travel solo. www.sojournermoxie.com
What are the difficulties/challenges you have faced as a black blogger?
Good question! As a blogger, you are always reading other blogs, and if you’re not careful the tendency to compare yourself to others will hinder your progress. My blogging journey has solidified my sense of self and what I have to offer. The woman who is in her 40s and above, the woman who is now an empty nester, the woman who’s been married for decades and is now divorced…that’s my audience! That’s who I want to reach. I have to be authentic to do that. Every day, I’m determined to be true to that. That’s continual growth.
How do you think the black blogging community can contribute more to Black History Month?
I like what you’re doing! Bringing Black voices together and showing the length and breadth of what we bring to the table. I’m even thinking of doing something like this in the travel space. Every blogger wants to be successful, but Black History Month is a great time to say look at my sister, look at my brother…see what they’re doing…they’re changing the game and it’s a beautiful thing!!!
In three words, I would say pride, representation, and hope. Black bloggers need more visibility than ever these days, and representation absolutely matters. We are no longer fighting for tolerance, we are fighting for acceptance and celebration. Black History Month is an opportunity to show the world that yes, we’re still here thriving, working, and succeeding! Many of us! In abundance! And that is powerful.
Gabby Beckford
I am a travel and lifestyle blogger—the main functions of my platform at the moment are writing helpful and entertaining travel articles and sharing funded travel opportunities I call Packs Light Travel Opps. These opportunities are travel grants for international experiences such as conferences, fellowships, study abroad, internships, and more. I won more than $69,000 in scholarships in college much of which helped me travel, so it’s a passion of mine to advocate and share this resource with my followers! You can find me on all social media platforms as @packslight, and on my blog at www.packslight.com.
What are the difficulties/challenges you have faced as a black blogger?
One of the biggest issues facing black bloggers is to pay discrepancies. Brands will pay other (often white or lighter-skinned) influencer considerably more than me when we are working the same campaign at the same time. I’m happy that most of the time, other influencers are open to sharing how much they are making so I can know about the unfair pay and address it. There have been times I worked pro-bono for a large company when they said they didn’t have a budget just to find out another non-Black influencer was paid. It’s ridiculous, unfair, and unendingly frustrating.
How has blogging made you think and grow as an individual?
Blogging has definitely transformed my mind into one of business. I see a system for every action, a collaboration with every meeting, and a window for every closed door. Networking is fun for me now! Blogging specifically about travel has also made me so much more appreciative of my life and aware of my privilege. I love to travel, and I love to encourage other people to travel. Sometimes it’s not that simple, and blogging has been an invaluable tool in my reflection and growth over the past 6 years.
How do you think the black blogging community can contribute more to Black History Month?
Lifting each other up is the best way. Taking this month as an opportunity to promote other Black bloggers and creatives, cross-pollenate the black-blogger-love between your followers and watch the magic that happens! By sharing others, they share you. And also, writing about it. Talking about it. Showing our followers that we do care about Black History Month, it matters in 2019, and we need to take note of it and it’s the true meaning of community!
Black History Month for me is a time to remember the individuals that have paved the way for us as a community today. It’s also a great time to discover and celebrate the individuals that are doing great things for the black community right now.
Saabirah Lawrence
When I started out I pretty much wrote about anything and everything, from makeup to social issues and at the time it made sense as I have many interests. Now I only focus on a few topics: wellness, empowerment, lifestyle and natural hair. I try to keep my content within those topics but I have found that I really enjoy sharing my blogging experience and any advice for other bloggers.
What are the difficulties/challenges you have faced as a black blogger?
I think my biggest challenge is finding brands/companies that I actually want to work with. As a black blogger, I find my go-to when it comes to brand collaborations is black-owned businesses. This obviously isn’t a bad thing, sometimes It just means the budget for work is smaller but If I see the vision I am totally on board. I just find it hard to know where I stand as a black woman with a lot of major brands. It’s a big turn off for me to see brands throwing the words ”diverse” and ”inclusive” into their campaigns when really it is all just surface level. there is no real work being done to challenge the industry’s views on working with black bloggers.
How has blogging made you think and grow as an individual?
As I started writing about wellness, it has really made me become more self-aware and open to bettering myself. Mostly for me but I also think having a better understanding of myself and more confidence will make me a better writer. Blogging has definitely helped me find my voice, explore my creative side and meet some amazing people.
How do you think the black blogging community can contribute more to Black History Month?
I think the black blogging community has been a useful source of information during black history month. It’s important to use this time of the month to highlight what is happening during black history month (events, films, new product/service launches, workshops, popups, etc), highlight some important and inspiring black figures and has conversations that need to be had within the community.
When I think of Black History Month, I think about what I learnt about black history in school. Slavery. That’s all we learnt as if that is all Black history is.
So, for me, Black History Month is a reminder that we need to educate ourselves about our history. Although it shouldn’t be restricted this month alone, this is a time to celebrate our black heroes, look back on how far we’ve come and reflected on how we can do better in the future.
WanderlustCalls
I am a Travel and Lifestyle Blogger who achieved my goal to visit 25 countries before I turned 25. I use my blog to try to help and inspire people to step out of their comfort zones and to travel more. Like many, I love to experience a little luxury without breaking the bank, so I share tips on how to do bougie travel on a budget.
What are the difficulties/challenges you have faced as a black blogger?
One challenge that I have faced as a black blogger is turning up to events and being the only black person in the room. It’s not even an exaggeration when I say that sometimes I’ve been in a room and felt unwelcomed by others in the room. I literally felt like an outcast. There are so many talented black bloggers, so seeing events like this really frustrates me.
How has blogging made you think and grow as an individual?
I’m extremely shy and blogging has really forced me out of my comfort zone. If you told a younger Debbie that I would one day put myself out there both online and off, I would never have believed it. But here, I am doing that on a regular basis. Even though I am still mad shy, it makes me realise how far I have come.
How do you think the black blogging community can contribute more to Black History Month?
I think that black bloggers can use their platforms to share a different narrative to the one that we are bombarded with by the media. We can share black stories, uplift black people and collaborate with other black bloggers and businesses. This shouldn’t just be restricted to Black History Month. This should be a regular thing.
Black History Month is a great time to reflect on all the great things black people have done to contribute to the UK and just in general! The list is endless! I remember being in primary school and it was a time when we had posters around the school and put on events during assembly for this and this was special as 90% of the school at the time were black. However, I feel that it should all just be taught and thought about all year round (not just one month) and I hope to see this happen one day.
Jess
I blog about travel and culture my website – www.roadtoculturedom.com because I believe that you can find culture wherever you travel to (domestically or internationally) and I want to inspire others to do so through my experiences.
How has blogging made you think and grow as an individual?
I feel like the challenges faced as a black blogger for me started with the lack of representation in mainstream travel spaces. When I started my journey, I had to search hard to find this and it gives the impression that you’ll have to work extra hard to have the same chance. This has changed as I got to know the black travel community more and connect with incredible bloggers both in the UK and abroad. I love how we are actively trying to change the diversity of travel and creating our own tables!
How do you think the black blogging community can contribute more to Black History Month?
The black blogging community is doing well to bring Black History Month through social media, events etc. It is not just to other blacks people but everyone else who is interested and wants to understand the black culture more. I feel like once we start making black history month something that is celebrated all year round. This will do wonders to change how the Western World perceives black history. Social media is very powerful so anything is possible.
Black history month is empowering to me. But it means so much more than celebrating for a month. It means every day I can unapologetically celebrate my beautiful melanated whole self, black people around me and the historical black people before me who paved the way so I have a voice, a voice of freedom.
DiyWithJoy
As a travel, food and lifestyle blogger on www.diywithjoy.com, I create content to inspire and encourage a community to find more joy in travelling and cooking, life & wellbeing. I love creating delicious and nutritious recipes inspired by travelling as I explore different palates and flavours globally. I share tips on how to #travelsmart, solo travel tips to inspire more people, especially women to take the first step to travel solo, travel stories and advice while having an enriching experience and discovering the beauty of the world through my lens. You can catch up with the Diywithjoy platform on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
What are the difficulties/challenges you have faced as a black blogger?
I feel that one of the challenges I have faced as a black blogger is that not everyone will like the content that you produce and that’s okay. This year I have really found my niche, my tribe and growing community in the blogging world and they have helped me understand what my audience would like to see more of from me.
How has blogging made you think and grow as an individual?
My blogging journey has helped me grow immensely in many ways as an individual. It has helped me strengthen my writing skills. Before blogging, I used to think I wasn’t much of a writer and more or a mathematician as I’m an engineer. I used to say to myself that I was better with numbers than words. Blogging has aided my cultivation for content writing and now I can boldly say to myself that I’m a great writer. Blogging has helped me become more organised, disciplined and accountable. It has also given me the courage to launch my travel business and has helped develop my confidence to put myself out there and network with other people which I am really grateful for.
How do you think the black blogging community can contribute more to Black History Month?
The black blogging community is really powerful and I think we can contribute more to Black history month but continuing to support one another, share more opportunities with each other and raise more awareness on why black history month is important and why it should be championed.
And with that, I would like to say…
Happy Nigerian Independence Day
I hope you enjoyed reading about these amazing women and their journeys. Are your celebrating Black History Month? Check places to go – Read: 10 Black History Month Events to Attend in 2019
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