Social Media Spotlight: 15 Black Content Creators You Should Be Following
February 28, 2025
Black History Month is ending, but Black history remains important all year -- and so do Black futures. Today's spotlight has little to do with history (although some of the people on the list might), but rather focuses on something quite modern: social media. I've chosen 15 creators from my following list that I recommend you check out. I've tried to choose people who specialize or are known for certain topics or styles of content so the list has variety -- many but not all of them have content that directly addresses Black issues or provides education on Black culture and history, while others are more focused on other issues such as feminism, LGBTQIA+, mental health, etc. A couple of them don't have much, if any, focus on social issues or activism, but help combat stereotypes or simply provide a form of escapism through humor or relaxation. If you have TikTok, I assume that most or all of these creators can be found there. Because I don't have a TikTok account personally, I see their videos as Instagram reels instead. For this reason, I'm including links to each of their Instagram accounts, but if you prefer another platform, their accounts should be easily found by searching. The one exception to this is #11 on my list, whose content is mainly found on YouTube so I have linked to their YouTube channel rather than their Instagram page which does not include their chosen content format. Without further ado, let's get started on the list. 1. Lynae Vanee (lynaevanee)Her video series, Parking Lot Pimpin', is pretty well-known and was actually introduced to me by someone who's a pretty big celebrity in his own right: Billy Porter. When you have people like Billy Porter following you and sharing your content, you must be doing something right -- and Lynae definitely is. Her videos, typically published every Friday, break down current events in a way that is succinct, powerful, and realistic. Her presentation is no-nonsense and cuts through not only the propaganda of the right but also the smooth-talking and politeness that we're so tired of seeing from Democrats and the center-left these days. But despite the brutally honest way she calls out racism and other forms of nonsense, her content is not without hope, and usually leaves me wanting to cheer her on and give her a round of applause. She has also done live tours and other forms of activism -- and I would love to see her host a show with a longer runtime someday -- but she remains best-known for her weekly series that appeals to our short attention spans, and her opening catchphrase "It's Friday, so I'ma keep it Black, but I'ma keep it brief." 2. Tony Nabors / Racial Equity Insights (racialequityinsights)
This account name is pretty self-explanatory. The account includes "DEI & Anti-Racism Training" as part of its name and the bio states that he "help[s] organizations advance anti-racism via holistic/intersectional strategies." But his content isn't just available to organizations; anyone can follow his account, and there's plenty of great information on it that we can all learn from for free. Of course, it's never the responsibility of Black people to teach us to not be racist -- in fact, Tony makes it clear that what he calls "unhealed" white people need to do their own inner work to prevent their trauma from affecting their anti-racism efforts. He even teaches an online class inspired by this way of thinking called "Developing Your Anti-Racist Heart: Doing the Inner Work." If you have the money and are able to attend, this is one way you, as an individual, can support Tony for the work he does. It's always up to us to be responsible for our own anti-racist education; but whenever Black people choose to take up the mantle of teaching us -- with whatever amount of time and effort they're willing to invest -- we should always listen. 3. Beverly Mahone / Auntie Bev (beverlymahone)
Auntie Bev is a creator that I myself only recently discovered, but I immediately knew she had to be added to this list. I stumbled across one of her videos in my suggested Facebook reels while scrolling through my timeline at some point in the past couple of weeks, during Black History Month. I followed her on both Facebook and Instagram right away. I now see that she has over a million followers on Instagram, so I feel like I've been out of the loop; but just in case you're out of the loop as well, I had to share her account with you. Auntie Bev is a "vocabulary builder" who teaches us new words or the history of the words we already know but may not know where they came from. During this past month, she's been teaching us words related to Black history, and they've been highly educational. Scrolling back through her videos that were uploaded prior to February, they have a more general educational vibe, but with a bit of political commentary thrown in. She also does themed videos like Motivational Monday, Teach Me Tuesday, and Fun Fact Friday -- and she's even written several vocabulary-related books, including three different volumes of "How to Cuss with Class." Following her is like subscribing to "word of the day" notifications, but a lot more fun. 4. Aketch Joy Winnie (aketchjoywinnie)
The first three accounts I listed have all been those of Black Americans, but this one changes things up a little. Aketch Joy Winnie, or Joy for short, is a teacher (and fashion model!) from Uganda who makes educational videos showing us all what it's like to live in a small African and specifically Ugandan village. I've always been interested in learning about other people's ways of life, and as a western city person, life in an African village is the exact opposite of mine in some ways. (Fun fact: I tried to join the Peace Corps once, but they wouldn't let me because I didn't have a college degree -- so videos like Joy's are probably the closest I'll get to experiencing an African village, and I'm so glad I have content creators like her to teach me about it.) Most of her videos are serious, but occasionally she'll make a hilarious sarcastic video based on people's weird assumptions about Africa, such as one where she explained that they can only get internet by digging up electronics from the ground if the technology gods choose to bless them. She also has two dogs named Facebook and TikTok. Her humor and vibrant personality make her educational videos even more enjoyable -- I'm sure she's an amazing teacher to her students in real life as well. 5. Yasmin Benoit (theyasminbenoit)
Yasmin is an asexual and aromantic activist from England who is well-known in the aro/ace community worldwide, for both her activism and her dedication to breaking stereotypes about how people in the asexual community should look and act. She created the hashtag and tagline "This is What Asexual Looks Like" to show that not all ace people are bland, nerdy, unattractive, etc. and that there is diversity among our community. Unfortunately, as a conventionally attractive woman who works as a lingerie model -- yet doesn't experience sexual or romantic attraction -- she's received a ton of hatred and derogatory comments. Her being Black certainly has something to do with it as well, as other asexual women in similar career fields (who are white) don't seem to be the target of quite as much backlash. Yasmin also displays a gothic fashion sense and listens to heavy metal and rock music, so she's far from being a caricature of what people expect from someone like her. She's doing great work and bringing a lot of visibility to the asexual community, despite all the backlash she's received for it. The ace community has a lot of love and appreciation for her. 6. Shahem Mclaurin (5hahem)
Shahem is a licensed therapist in Brooklyn, NY who shares therapy tidbits on their social media as well as a variety of other types of content including astrology and activism. In fact, the activism part sometimes intersects with the therapy part as Shahem explains what's going on in the world using therapy terms and addressing common abuse tactics that are used not only by individuals, but by entire governments. You can find videos on their account explaining how countries like the United States and Israel use tactics such as DARVO to play the victim when they're actually the aggressor, gaslight their populations into believing propaganda, and more. I'm not an astrology person myself, but if you are, you'll probably enjoy their snarky content in that category as well. I don't understand the astrology references but I always enjoy their snark and sass -- and how open they are about not putting up with bigotry on their page. Shahem is also part of the LGBTQIA+ community, identifying as genderqueer, and their focus as a therapist is members of that community as well as people of color and anyone affected by patriarchy. 7. Isaiah Frizzelle (isaiahfrizzelle)
Before we leave the realm of mental health, here is another account that I stumbled across on Instagram and found great insight within. Isaiah is not a therapist -- something that actually surprised me when I found out -- but his website describes him as a life coach. While the term "life coach" has been used by a lot of people who are less than legit, I've found Isaiah to be someone who seems to have a great deal of knowledge about healthy relationships that can be applied to any form of relationship in your life. His more recent tagline is "It's just information," while around the time I discovered his account, he would often end his short speeches with the words "Something to think about" and sometimes a wink at the camera. The gentle demeanor the information is presented with helps viewers not feel attacked by his words, even when he's calling out their behavior. A long time ago, I added a line from one of his videos to the "quotes worth remembering" in my notes app: "Some people choose you for themselves, and then other people choose you for you." He might not be a licensed therapist, but I feel like a lot of us can stand to hear the things he has to say. 8. Efe Plange (efplange_gh)
"Feminism is self-care" is the line in this Ghanan doctor's Instagram bio, and that's probably the best way to sum up her videos. She is no-nonsense when it comes to being proud and encouraging other women to be proud of living an independent life free of men who don't enrich them. She calls out toxic and unfair gender expectations in both African culture and global culture, making it clear that men might think they 'need' women, but women don't need men. Regardless of your relationship status or goals (or gender!), there's value to be found in listening to her wise words and call-outs. If you are a single woman and you need somebody to tell you not to settle for less than you deserve, then Dr. Plange especially has your back. 9. Cyzor (cyzorgg)
And speaking of feminists, not all of them are female -- and it's important for male voices to speak out against misogyny and toxic masculinity because those are often the only voices that toxic men will listen to. Cyzor is a good example of this. Although he makes a lot of different kinds of content, it was one of his videos against toxic male behavior that made me begin following him. And while I'm sure that some creators see "male feminist" as a way to simply get views and gain clout as an influencer, Cyzor truly comes off as one of the men who really get it. In the age of Andrew Tate and other alpha bros, it's always refreshing to see a man who's mature, respectful, logical, and who actually views women as human beings equal to himself rather than a different species that was placed here to serve him. His frustration with other men's behavior, especially predatory or degrading behavior, is palpable and genuine, while at the same time he's able to explain things in a very calm and educational manner (for a great example, scroll down to his February 4 video about benevolent sexism). 10. Tricia Hersey / The Nap Ministry (thenapministry)
The Nap Ministry arose around the time of the first Trump administration, when, let's face it, we were all tired (as we still are). "Hustle culture" is a big problem in our society, and when you add things like activism to your plate, it can be exhausting. And who do you think are the most exhausted people of all? I'm gonna take a guess and say Black people, especially Black women, who have been facing racism and misogynoir for the entirety of their lives. Tricia Hersey sought to combat this by promoting rest as a form of activism. As far as I'm aware, the Nap Ministry has never excluded any other races from hearing its message -- I am white and I've been following them for a long time. I also advocate for rest and against hustle culture, which I've always viewed as a dangerous component of capitalism. However, it's most important for groups such as Black women to have the ability to prioritize their rest, self-care, and joy -- while other people, particularly white people, do most of the hard work toward dismantling white supremacy, the system that would prevent them from resting in the first place. Tricia has also written a couple of books on the topic. I view it as an important message for anyone living under capitalism to hear, whether it teaches us to take time for ourselves, or to allow other groups of people to do the same. 11. African Xhosa ASMR (africanxhosaasmr on YouTube)
If you need help with your relaxation, this young woman from South Africa has one of my favorite ASMR channels. You can read all about ASMR elsewhere if you're interested in learning more about the phenomenon, but for now all I'll say is that sound, such as whispered or soft-spoken voices and other gentle noises created by the artist, can be great for relaxation, whether you have insomnia like myself, or just want to take a load off and relax mentally during the day. This channel, as the title implies, is all about the Xhosa culture of South Africa, and is unique among ASMR channels because of how educational it is. The artist (who doesn't often say her name in videos, but lists it as Dr. Siviwe Tolokazi M. on Instagram) teaches us about Xhosa and African culture, language, geography, customs, and more. Though I'll be honest... I usually fall asleep before I learn everything she has to teach me. Unless I'm having severe insomnia, her calming voice and presence (in combination with other sleep aids) tend to knock me out before I get too far into the video, but I'm appreciative of the things I have stayed awake long enough to learn (and occasionally I will watch when I have no intention of sleeping, just so I can pay attention better and learn more). I'm even getting better at pronouncing the word Xhosa by practicing how to do the click required to speak the language. 12. Leah Vernon (lvernon2000)
I originally began following Leah V. after the Muslim Girl website published an article she wrote about some of the unique forms of discrimination she's faced. As a "Fat Black Muslim" in her own words, she's faced plenty of adversity in her life, and has been very vulnerable about it -- from leaving a controlling husband, to being talked down to by the 'haram police' within her own religion, to your run-of-the-mill discrimination in the form of racism, sexism, Islamophobia, and the ever-present fatphobia. Having chosen to ditch her hijab and modest dress, some of her content, and especially her fashion, looks a bit different now, but body positivity is still a major focus of her account. It goes to show that there's more than one way to be a Muslim and the most important thing is being true to yourself. Her content also features a hefty dose of humor and even the occasional skit to showcase her acting skills (we all love/hate the male characters she "dates" from time to time). 13. iAmMoshow (iammoshow)
There are a lot of stereotypes about Black people. For whatever reason, one of those stereotypes says that they don't like cats. I'm not sure where this came from (maybe something to research another day, or if you know the answer, let me know). There's even an entire group on Facebook called Black People Love Cats Too! which occasionally comes across my timeline. I wasn't thinking about this stereotype, or for that matter I'm not even sure I was aware of it, when I first discovered iAmMoshow, a.k.a. The Cat Rapper; all I remember was seeing a video of a man in a tub, giving his cat a bath and rapping about it -- and thinking how wholesome it was. The adorable cat in the video, a favorite of everyone following their account, was named Ravioli (or DJ Ravioli) and unfortunately he passed away from stomach cancer in 2022, but his "dad" along with his wife and their other 5 cats (plus a baby now) remain active on social media. Moshow is known not only for his rapping and his cats, but also for his unique and very colorful fashion and his contagious giggle. He has released cat-themed coloring books and advocates for the adoption of homeless cats, saying they changed his life and saved him from a troubled youth. Follow his adorably wholesome and colorful family on social media, or check out his songs by searching for "iAmMoshow" wherever you listen to music (I can confirm they're on YouTube Music, but I assume they're on Spotify and other platforms as well). 14. Robert Lucas / The Sweet Impact (thesweetimpact)
Speaking of people who are breaking stereotypes, maybe not of Black people, but definitely of men: this buff, handsome, 'masculine' man who is also an incredibly talented baker and cake decorator. I don't know why exactly, but watching cake decorating videos can be very relaxing and enjoyable, and Robert's account became one of my favorites to follow. Something about the artform is therapeutic to watch, and impressive because I know I could never (although I have gotten ever so slightly better at cake decorating by learning tips shared by creators who are actually good at it -- learning what a crumb coat is was life-changing). And while his appearance is not important to his craft, I have to recommend his account to anyone who's interested in cakes and aesthetically attracted to men. His smile is as dazzling as his artistry -- and occasionally he also blesses us with his beautiful singing voice! 15. Moyo Ajibade (yourboymoyo)
I've gone through a fairly diverse list of content creators so far, dealing with a wide range of topics and specialties, from activism, anti-racism, Black history, education on multiple subjects, mental health, feminism, body positivity, relaxation, and artistry... but I'm going to end it in a slightly different way by sharing a content creator who doesn't necessarily have a specific 'category' of content, but one who simply... makes me laugh. Moyo, a British man who I believe has talked about his Nigerian heritage, makes videos talking about random topics and events that happen to him, often sharing his frustration with others' behaviors in a hilarious way. These days, a lot of his videos do center around his travel adventures, but they are never without his signature humor. Even when he severely broke his leg playing football (soccer), he dealt with the injury and the recovery with a sense of humor. While he might not talk about serious topics as frequently as some of my picks further up on the list, Moyo is definitely worth a follow. As we move foward into the month of March and the rest of the year, let's continue to celebrate and uplift the Black content creators, artists, musicians, authors, entertainers, etc. -- as well as the Black people we know personally -- who enrich our lives and make the world a more beautiful place. Of course this list of 15 creators is far from being an exhaustive list. If there are any specific creators that you think I should be following, let me know!