TikTok kicked off Black History Month Monday by revealing its inaugural Black TikTok Trailblazers list, recognizing individuals nominated by the video creation platform’s community in North America for being leaders and pioneers on and off the application and using TikTok to educate, entertain and advocate for the Black community.
Starting Monday, the TikTok Discover page will include a featured #MakeBlackHistory banner, which will connect users to live programming from Black artists and creators, including Black TikTok Trailblazers.
TikTok will also team up with @TheShadeRoom on a special TikTok Live featuring a different Black TikTok Trailblazer every week, discussing Black history, beauty, fashion and progression.
TikTok Live programs such as Learn on TikTok and Fashion Month will honor and feature Black creators, as well.
New stickers designed to celebrate Black culture and honor the colors of the Pan-African flag can be added to videos to help creators pay homage to Black creatives, history, magic and pride, by opening the app’s sticker tray.
TikTok wrote in a blog post Monday, “Ragtime, jazz and reggae and blues to hip-hop and Soul, Black musicians have been innovators in their fields and shaped so much of modern-day music as we know it.” The app’s Sounda page will include special playlists, banners, featured songs and exclusively Black artists on the TikTok Live music series throughout February.
The company will donate $500,000 to nonprofits fighting for racial equality and justice, including Alvin Ailey Foundation, Black AIDS Institute, CEE Centre for Young Black Professionals, Operation Hope, Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Trans Women of Color Collective.
Finally, TikTok is adding a Black Business Showcase to its app to recognize and promote Black-owned businesses throughout Black History Month. It will be a reimagined experience within the app’s Rewards section, and users can find it by searching for Black businesses or rewards.
The inaugural Black TikTok Trailblazers are:
- @alexisnikole: Alexis (Columbus, Ohio), a lover of the outdoors, is a forager who finds and harvests exceptional wild food. She was inspired to start creating content about her love of foraging when she didn’t see a lot of Black representation in the outdoor recreation industry. She prides herself on being unapologetically Black and unapologetically nerdy, joyfully sharing her love of foraging and the outdoors with others.
- @beauty2thestreetz: Shirley (Los Angeles) takes care of hundreds of homeless people in Los Angeles every week, and she is using her platform to be a voice for them. At the height of the pandemic, she provided resources such as PPE (personal protective equipment) masks to the homeless and shared stories from Los Angeles’ Skid Row in her TikTok videos.
- @christian_shelton: Christian (Las Vegas) always knew he wanted to share his singing talent on TikTok. He loves that there is a strong Black community and culture on TikTok. He feels that sometimes Black artists are “put into a box” when it comes to the type of music they create and wants to show the breadth and depth of Black musical talent.
- @dadlifejason: Jason (Atlus, Okla.) is a husband and father of three children. As the patriarch of a multiracial family, he uses his platform to share family moments and experiences. For Jason, it’s important to show the love and tenderness of fatherhood and parenting in the Black community. From random acts of kindness to music jam sessions, he and his family focus on spreading positivity through their content.
- @fatraco0n: Jax (Fargo, N.D.) uses her voice and platform to spotlight topics ranging from her own South Sudanese culture, to racism and feminism. She focuses on activism on and off of TikTok, and believes her calling is to care about and help others.
- @iconiccpinkk: Munera (St. Louis) is changing the look of the creator world. After she noticed that there was a lack of representation of Black hijabi women, she and her sister, Fatima, started creating comedy and prank videos. Many know her for the “Don’t Leave Me Challenge,” and she wants to be an inspiration to the next generation of Black hijabi women.
- @iconicgreen1: Fatima (St. Louis) started creating prank and challenge videos with her sister, Munera. She realized there was an audience who loved the content that she and her sister were sharing and is excited to be an inspiration to other Black hijabi women.
- @kentai.haven: Kenyon (Cordova, Tenn.) is a creative mathematician who is known for his mind-blowing height guessing videos. Since he was young, he’s known that he wanted to show the world a different way of problem solving. He believes the Black community is underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) world, and he wants to help change that.
- @kissyduerre: Kissy (Saskatchewan) is passionate about bringing transgender stories into the spotlight. As a transgender woman, she feels it’s important to use her platform to bring awareness to the issues this community faces. Her message for young, queer people is, “their gender identity doesn’t matter, as long as you love yourself and embrace yourself.”
- @quenwilliamss: Quen (Round Rock, Texas) is a professional real estate agent who is using her platform to help make home buying attainable for the Black community. She didn’t see much Black representation in the real estate industry and hardly any representation of home ownership in Black households and wants to change that. She hopes her content will help more people of color own a home and create generational wealth.
- @taylorcassidyj: Taylor (O’Fallon, Ill.) creates TikTok videos with a positive and educational message. She prioritizes Black culture by teaching Black History through her “Fast Black History” series and uplifting current creatives in her mini talk show, “Black Girl Magic Minute.” Her purpose is to help her audience find the beauty in themselves and appreciate their cultural roots, as well.
- @theres.food.at.home: August (New York) is a content creator who loves all things food-related. She owns John’s Juice and Fluffy’s NYC, based out of Brooklyn’s most popular food market, Smorgasburg. Due to Covid-19, she found herself with a lot more free time and decided to start her TikTok journey in April 2020. August’s goal is to help level up her audience’s relationship with cooking at home, to make it fun and non-intimidating. To do this she focuses on easy recipes and hacks that can be replicated at home with everyday ingredients at an affordable price.
- @trendycurvy: Kristine (Los Angeles) loves to replicate popular trends and celebrity looks on her size 18 body. She’s proud to encourage body positivity while sharing content about plus size fashion. She believes style is unlimited and everyone has the ability to push their own boundaries.
- @veondre: Veondre (Seattle) has been an activist for the transgender community since she came out. She is motivated to share trans stories because she realized they were making a positive difference in people’s lives. She wants to support her community by continuing to use her platform to address trans subjects perceived to be taboo.
