Right now's not the time for me to share another writing lesson. It's time for me to shut up, to listen, and to be a better ally.
That's why instead I want to spotlight three Black writers.
I'd encourage you to check them out and follow along with what they're doing. For me, they've been huge sources of inspiration and are generally just wonderful, intelligent people who have important things to say.
Andy Newman
Andy was the very first interview for the Yeah Write Club newsletter, and I've worked with him for pieces on the BigCartel blog for several years now. He's a great editor that makes working collaboratively a breeze.
By day, he's a content strategist, writer, and filmmaker based in Ohio. For over a decade, he’s helped others make sense of technology and inspired them to create more art. He works on creative marketing projects at Big Cartel including a zine and short films and edits Workshop, a blog on art, culture, and commerce.
His side project, Supernyx, is focused on making eSports accessible to all. His writing has been featured in The Atlantic, USA Today, Splinter, Headspace, and others.
Kelly Wickham Hurst
I met Kelly when I worked as the PR Manager at Central Illinois Foodbank fresh out of college. She was an incredible resource and advocate, and even spoke about her personal experiences at the organization's annual gala. I'm in awe of everything she does and am so proud to know her.
Kelly is a writer, educator, and speaker who pens the blog Mocha Momma. She's also the Executive Director for Being Black at School, a movement for equity and safety for Black students. For 23 years she worked in Springfield, Illinois at public and private schools as a teacher, dean, and assistant principal.
Today, she speaks at conferences and her writing is published in places like Yahoo! and the Huffington Post. She has also been a guest on NPR and has been interviewed by The Atlantic and the NYT.
Amma Marfo
I met Amma through the internet in my early days of freelance writing. Over the years she's been an incredible cheerleader for my work, and it's been incredible to watch her business evolve over the years as well.
Amma is a thoughtful higher education professional, writer, and editor based in Boston, MA. A prolific writer, she writes for her own blog and is a regular contributor to Wiley’s Women in Higher Education newsletter, comedy criticism website The Interrobang, and Crowdcentric’s Social Media Week.
She’s also a dynamic and sought-after speaker on topics such as leadership, group dynamics, and creativity.
If you're looking for ways to support Black Lives Matter initiatives right now, here are three organizations I've supported recently that I'd encourage you to consider as well:
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