Every year for Black History Month I like to shine some light on the Black community’s work in the social media sphere. There are so many black creators doing amazing things yet are still underrepresented in the world of social media influencing. While I love shining light on all the wonderful people that are part of this community, this year I wanted to have a new theme to highlight and lift up some of my fellow influencer friends who have really been there for me over the last year, and celebrate my newfound sisterhood with these women.
Although I’ve been in the influencer game for a while now, I never really felt that I had a tribe or community of fellow influencer friends that I could really confide in and relate to. It might sound strange to say, but the influencer world can be a lonely space. There is a lot of hustle and grit to work in this industry and you can really get lost in the non-stop grind of creating content. It wasn’t until this last year or so that I really started to get out of my house more often and make a point to attend in-person events. Initially, it was intimidating to show up to events and not really know anyone. But the more I put myself out there, I slowly started to build beautiful and meaningful friendships with inspiring creators. A community of ride or die friends that I truly cherish and the same energy is reciprocated. These women have impacted my life in such a positive way while giving me unconditional love and support. I really wouldn’t have been able to grow as a person and creator without these lovely ladies and I hope you will all come to see what I mean.
As the year progresses I really want to continue building connections and adding more and more new friends into my life, as I have continuously met so many wonderful peers. Over the next month I also will be highlighting over on TTL IG stories other amazing black creators that I believe are really bringing about a fresh air to the influencer space and I hope that you babes will show them some love as well, because they are all really special people! If you missed it, be sure to also check out my past black history month influencer spotlights for 2023 and 2022.
Black History Month Spotlights | Celebrating Sisterhood and Community
Pictured Left to Right: Tennille Jenkins, Taye Hansberry, SouKeyna Diouf, and Aysha Harun
Okay Okay I know SouKeyaa is a model and all, but she isn’t a model for no reason! I mean come on she is just freaking gorgeous!! Babes you have no idea how wonderful of a person SouKeyna is. In the past BHM blogs I have shared her page, but now that I have really got to know her in person I’m here to say that she is just one of the sweetest, most genuine people. SouKeyna is literally goals, from her style to her lifestyle, to her personality. I love watching her makeup content as she shows how beautiful color can be on darker skin tones and she is unapologetically herself when she is sharing her life! She is definitely someone I am always so excited to see at events and I never have a bad time when she’s around. She truly is just beautiful from the inside out and I can’t believe I get to call her a friend.
Aysha Harun @AyshaharunBabes, have you seen how cute Aysha is?! I fell in love with Aysha from the moment I laid eyes on her. I have always been a fan of her content and could tell that she works really hard to have the life that she wants. After becoming friends with her I can confidently say I was right! It has brought me so much pleasure seeing Aysha blossom as a content creator as I have loved seeing her account has grow so much over the past year. I love seeing her content being not only popular on IG but really gaining attention on Tik-Tok. If you’re not familiar with her content, she does a bit of everything, from outfit inspos, to makeup and skincare vids, and making the most BOMB looking food! I hope to keep seeing my girl’s account grow and I just love her so much. All her efforts are well earned and I couldn’t be happier for her!
Darlings if you love badass, CEO, sexy mom types, then look no further! Denise is the full package and I cannot believe I get to be friends with someone as cool as her. I find myself being drawn to Denise not only because she is stunning but because she is also a working mother of two. Recently founding a lip care brand called Maed, Denise has been hustling and has already garnered the major honor of being selected for the Sephora Accelerate program. Even with being a full time content creator and now brand owner she still finds time to be the best momma possible. For me, it’s in hard work like this that I find major solidarity and respect. I love spending time with Denise, whether that be at events or at brunch, she never fails to make me LOL and she truly is just a delight to be around! Denise is truly someone I admire and I hope that you’ll check her out and come to see why!
Taye, Taye, Taye. So much to say, but too little space (Lol). Legit Taye is my long lost sister. She has to be one of the most hilarious, sexy, classy, and entertaining people I have ever met! Taye has been my rock this year and someone I come to time and time again. I know I have found a sister when the first person I text when I’m invited to something is Taye to see if she’s going too. Taye is someone who I see and I’m like yep she is the sh*t. She is uber stylish and I’m always delighted to see her style clothes for inspo. I love that her content is sophisticated but in real life she is kind of comical in a way that you would never guess from her content. I mean this in the best way possible as she is just refreshing and has such a sharpness and wit to her that I find to be totally unlike anyone else. I thoroughly enjoy hanging out with Taye and we always have the best time together. She manages to always bring a smile to my face and I can truly say there is never a dull moment with her.
Maytinee Visuddhidham @Star.powerr
Okay so I saved the best for last, but Maytinee truly is the best of the best! I’m not just saying this because I’m her mom and she’s my daughter, but even if we weren’t related I’m 100% positive we would still be besties. May has come a long way this past year with her own content. More and more she is beginning to become a force in the influencer world and I couldn’t ask for a better partner to navigate through it all than her! May’s content is very “May”. She has a very meticulous way of seeing things and her content really reflects her creativity. If you love seeing the process behind design from beginning to end, her content is for sure for you! On the days when I don’t feel motivated to film, May is there to encourage me. On the days where I’m nervous to go to an event, May is supporting me or even accompanying me to the event. May has been with me for a majority of my life and I couldn’t even fathom a world without her in it. May has so much to offer to this world and I am so lucky that I get to be here for it all!
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This last year has taught me that it is possible to make meaning connections at any stage in life. I think it’s important to remember that there is a person or group of people out there for everybody, but you just have to be open and willing to accept them. Although I decided to shake things up and share about my friends this year I think it’s important to remember to show up for all Black content creators. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it now, but the best thing you can do to support Black creators is by interacting with their accounts, even if it’s just a like. With every like, comment, share, and link click, you are helping a creator get their seat at the influencer table. This helps them lock in brand deals and get paid for the efforts they make to enrich your lives with their inspiring, funny, and educational content. Solidarity is solidarity, and believe me that it means the world to us to see that we are making a positive impact on the Black community and more importantly in people’s lives. I love seeing people from my community thrive and I hope that all of my TTL fam continues to show up and support! Again make sure to check out my IG stories this month to see other Black content creators that I am absolutely obsessed with!
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