Influential Black women will take over the Instagram accounts of white women celebs today—here’s why
Social media has been an important tool during the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests, with many efforts focused on spreading information and giving a larger platform to Black voices. One campaign in particular, #ShareTheMicNow, is focused on amplifying the voices of Black women—voices that, even within progressive movements, are far too often drowned out.
What is the #ShareTheMicNow Campaign?
#ShareTheMicNow is an effort “to magnify Black women and the important work that they’re doing in order to catalyze the change that will only come when we truly hear each other’s voices,” the campaign’s organizers wrote on Instagram. To do this, on Wednesday, June 10th, an impressive lineup of Black women will take over the Instagram accounts of white women celebrities.
As reported by Elle, the #ShareTheMicNow organizers outlined four primary goals for the campaign: “To form a social media campaign that magnifies Black women’s lives and stories. To form relationships among Black women and white women so that our future activism is born from relationships. To create a network of disruptors who know and trust each other. To create action that could make change.”
On Wednesday, 46 Black women will take over the accounts of 46 white women on Wednesday, reaching a combined audience of 300 million on Instagram, according to the campaign’s organizers, Elle reports. “When the world listens to women, it listens to white women,” the organizers wrote on Instagram, “For far too long, Black women’s voices have gone unheard, even though they’ve been using their voices loudly for centuries to enact change.”
Who created the #ShareTheMicNow Campaign?
#ShareTheMicNow was created by Endeavor chief marketing officer Bozoma Saint John, author and podcast host Luvvie Ajayi Jones, author and Together Rising founder Glennon Doyle, and Alice and Olivia founder Stacey Bendet. Notably, that’s two Black women and two white women. The organizers wrote, “Today, more than ever, it is NECESSARY that we create a unifying action to center Black women’s lives, stories, and calls to action. We need to listen to Black women.”
Who is participating in the #ShareTheMicNow campaign?
The campaign’s Black women organizers will be taking over two white women’s accounts, while the white women organizers will have their accounts taken over by Black women. Some of the influential Black women you’ll see participating in the #ShareTheMicNow campaign include Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo movement; Angelica Ross, Pose star, American businesswoman and transgender rights advocate; Elaine Welteroth, American journalist and New York Times best-selling author; Rachel Cargle, academic, writer, lecturer, and founder of The Loveland Foundation.
The celebrities handing over their Instagram accounts include Julia Roberts, Selma Blair, Ashley Graham, Busy Philipps, Mandy Moore, Sophia Bush, and many more.
Here’s a full list of the Black women participating in the #ShareTheMicNow campaign:
Alencia Johnson, Alexa Idama, Angelica Ross, Austin Channing Brown, Bozoma Saint John, Brittney Cooper, Candace Marie, Cari Champion, Christina Rice, Deesha Dyer, Devi Brown, Elaine Welteroth, Elle Hearns, Eunique Jones Gibson, Fresco Steez, Gia Peppers, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Jessica O. Matthews, Jovian Zayne, Julee Wilson, Justina Omokhua, Kahlana Barfield Brown, Keah Brown, Kimberly Blackwell, Latham Thomas, Lauren Wesley Wilson, Lindsay Peoples Wagner, Luvvie Ajayi Jones, Melina Abdullah, Miatta Johnson, Monique Melton, Myleik Teele, Naima Cochrane, Nikki Ogunnaike, Nimotalai Ganiyu, Opal Tometi, Rachel Cargle, Seun Adigun, Stephanie Thomas, Stephanie Young, Tai Beauchamp, Tarana Burke, Thasunda Brown Duckett, Tiffany Aliche, Yaba Blay, Yvette Noel Schure.
