21 Fierce Black Feminists To Follow On Instagram Right Now

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It goes without saying that black women are phenomenal, but in case you needed a reminder, or maybe just a dose of inspiration, there’s no better place to see black women doing the damn thing than on social media.

In an age where social issues surrounding race and gender are more heated than ever, black feminists are leading the charge in bringing awareness and keeping folks woke through their online visibility.

In celebration of this, below are 21 black feminists (from Janet Mock to Zendaya) who use Instagram to change, inspire, and bless us all with their flyness:

1
Alexandra Elle
Alexandra Elle is a dope author and poet, who recently dropped a beautiful book of poetry. Her feed is a beautiful collection of stunning portraits as well as excerpts from some of her poems.
2
Angela Rye
Angela Rye is the queen of the side-eye, a CNN political commentator who is unafraid to speak the truth, even if the truth in uncomfortable. Rye's Instagram feed gives a vibrant behind-the-scenes look at her day-to-day life, passions and projects.
3
Tamika D. Mallory

Call me what you want, but don't call me lazy. This girl here works! 😹 #threeyearsago #nothinghaschanged #upworkingnow

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Activist and co-founder of the Women's March, Tamika D. Mallory is without a doubt a busy women -- but she still finds time to post candid pics and enlightening memes about social justice.
4
Yara Shahidi

✨All smiles✨ @vanityfair portrait studio πŸ“Έ @justbish #Coachella ✨

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Yara Shahidi is only 17, but she's already proven that she has big things ahead of her. In addition to her role on ABC's "Black-ish," Shahidi is an outspoken feminist, using her platform and social media presence to bring awareness to a whole host of social issues.
5
Alicia Garza
Alicia Garza is one of the founders of the Black Lives Matter movement. In this post, she celebrates International Women's Day by reminding us "a day without a woman ain't really no kinda day at all."
7
Gabrielle Richardson
Gabriella Richardson is a model, muse, and co-curator of the Arthoe Collective, an initiative designed to create space for QPOC artists.
9
Ashley Ford
Ashley Ford is the endlessly sharp and funny Senior Features Writer at Refinery 29. On Instagram, Ford offers candid vignettes from her past and present, usually accompanied by insightful captions.
10
Michelle Buteau

YAS WE CAN πŸ’šπŸ’›πŸ’™β€οΈπŸ’œ#womensmarch

A post shared by Michelle Buteau (@michellebuteau) on

Michelle Buteau is a comedian who has a deft talent for doing comedy that makes blunt and hilarious observations about what it means to be a black woman. Her Insta is full of all sorts of goodness, including self-deprecating selfies and cameos from other black female comics like Phoebe Robinson and Sydney Washington.
11
Zendaya

Self explanatory... #internationalwomensday

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Does it get any better than Zendaya? The stunning teen actress and model uses her platform and access to 40.4 million followers on Instagram to spread awareness about self-love, body positivity, feminism and racial justice.
12
Charlene Carruthers

Here's to Freya, Venus and nem'

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Charlene Carruthers is a queer feminist activist and organizer who just happens to have an incredibly lit Instagram page full of funny memes and fabulous, affirming selfies.
14
Jessica Byrd
Jessica Byrd is the founder of Three Point Strategies, a D.C. based political consulting firm that empowers people of color candidates, campaign staff and organizations. Her Instagram feed is fun, vibrant, and full of videos documenting life outside the office.
15
Bianca Xunise

I should be sleeping but I'm reminiscing about eating bread, Babar books and being tranquille #tbt

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Bianca Xunise is a Chicago-based artist and comic illustrator who posts deeply personal, funny, captivating comics that cover everything from dealing with anxiety to what she fights for as a black woman.
16
Patrisse Cullors

You know.

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Patrisse Cullors is one-third of the founding members of the Black Lives Matter movement. Cullors shares artistic, thoughtful and striking snaps of her day-to-day life.
17
Amandla Stenberg

Dazed: What are your thoughts on using your platforms as a catalyst for change? As activists, how do we galvanise action beyond social media and the internet? / AS: I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently because, growing up having this platform, I feel a consistent responsibility to utilise it well. I think, for a long amount of time, the most effective thing was to use my platform to speak out openly about the topics that were important to me, such as cultural appropriation, black women feeling their power and learning how to have self-confidence – especially black teenage girls. / That was really important for me for a period, (and still is) but I’m not sure it’s the most effective (thing) any more. I feel like social media is a little oversaturated with some of those conversations – not to say that they aren’t important – but I think now is a really critical moment for me to move from conversations to action. / Now I feel like it’s my job to infiltrate some of the mainstream media and see what changes I can make just by creating that representation. There’s a power in being part of projects like Everything, Everything (upcoming film in which Stenberg plays a reclusive teen who falls for the boy next door), which is a teen romance movie, but also one of the first teen romance movies to feature an interracial couple. I see it as sneaking in the medicine with the candies.

A post shared by amandla (@amandlastenberg) on

Amandla Stenberg is a young feminist who, at just 18, remains outspoken about issues such as cultural appropriation and representation -- all while looking amazing, naturally.
18
Marley Dias
Little miss Marley Dias is a force to be reckoned with, and her Insta feed is proof. The 12 year-old who founded the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign to collect 1,000 children's books with black girl protagonists for donation, is now chronicling the road to publishing her own book with Scholastic this year.
19
Opal Tometi
Opal Tometi is one of the founders of the Black Lives Matter movement. In addition to fighting for an end to police brutality, the Nigerian-American is also an advocate for black immigrant's rights through her organization BAJI (Black Alliance For Just Immigration).
20
Sydney "The Ballerina"
Sydney the Ballerina (as she calls herself on Instagram) is a professional ballerina and an activist, breaking stigmas not only about black women in ballet but also bringing further visibility to queer black women in love via her feed.
21
Michaela Angela Davis

Here for Black Women. #ServingFaceWithNoFilter #SustainableSisterhood #YearOfTheGrownAssWoman πŸ“Έ@staceymark for Violet Magazine

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Michaela Angela Davis is a journalist, speaker, and beauty activist who has long been vocal about the importance of valuing black women. Her Insta feed is lit, featuring a great mix of street style portraits, travel photos, and glimpses of Davis's activist work.

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