Meet the 12 Black leaders that took over Selena Gomez’s Instagram to amplify their voices

“I think that America needs to live up to its promise of liberty, justice and freedom for all,” says Alicia Garza (@chasinggarza) who co-created the #BlackLivesMatter movement and also runs the @BlackFuturesLab which aims to give Black communities a stronger voice in the political sphere. If that wasn’t enough, she’s also a vocal supporter of the Domestic Workers Alliance and has her own podcast at @ladydonttakenopod.

“If we’re to ever change this terrible cycle it begins by recognizing just how deep its roots go,” says historian ( @jelani1906 ). For his takeover of Selena’s Instagram, he shared a clip of himself speaking in the powerful Netflix documentary 13th which explores the link that connects slavery to the US’s current system of mass incarceration. He is also a journalist at the New Yorker and a professor at Columbia University. Jelani has written several books including The Substance of Hope: Barack Obama and the Paradox of Progress, and To the Break of Dawn, which is about the origins of hip hop culture. He writes and teaches mostly about the history of race in the United States and the ways that it continues to impact the lives of not only Black people but all the millions of people living in the US.

“Working with families of slain Black women, we resist their invisibility by telling their stories,” says Kimberlé Crenshaw ( @kimberlecrenshaw - and sandylocks on Twitter). It’s thanks to Kimberlé’s work that terms such as “intersectionality,” “Critical Race Theory, and “#SayHerName,” have become common terms. Kimberlé co-founded the African American Policy Forum ( @aapolicyforum ), hosts the podcast @intersectionalitymatters , teaches law at UCLA and Columbia and moderates the weekly conversation series “Under The Blacklight.”

“Law combined with culture shapes our social narratives. It can justify biases and stereotypes with deadly consequences,” says Professor Sarah Elizabeth Lewis ( @sarahelizabethlewis1 and sarahelizalewis on Twitter). During her takeover of Selena’s Instagram, she shared ten videos and pictures that made viewers think about the racial terror in culture that is often portrayed through imagery. She called the session a one day class in “How to see in a racial crisis” with the aim of shifting the narratives that justify racial bias.

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“We must acknowledge our own racism in order to start on our antiracist journey,” states Professor Ibram X. Kendi (@ibramxk). Ibram is a historian of racism, #1 New York Times bestselling author, and the Director of the @bostonu Center for Antiracist Research. His first children’s book, Antiracist Baby (featuring an image of his adorable daughter on the cover), is out now.

Michael Render, aka Killer Mike ( @killermike ) garnered a lot of praise when he gave an emotional speech at the Atlanta mayor’s press conference in May, pleading with protestors not to vandalize their city. As he said in a recent Washington Post interview: “I believe you should support the little guy, shop local. Vote – local voting count, it does matter.” He is an activist, Grammy Award-winning rapper, one half of the rap duo Run the Jewels, and host of the Netflix series Trigger Warning with Killer Mike.

Nelini Stamp ( @nelstamp ) is the Director of Strategy for @Workingfamilies which is a grassroots, multiracial party. She was one of the many activists at Occupy Wall Street. Nelini’s work centers on transforming action in the streets to wins on voting day.

“We can imagine and build new systems – a world where everyone has the care, nutrition, shelter and income they need to be well – a world that doesn’t need police. Wouldn’t that be beautiful?” says Kendrick Sampson (@kendrick38). He is an actor, activist and founder of the non-profit initiative BLD PWR which engages culture, education and activism to advance radical social change. ⠀⠀

Raquel Willis ( @raquel_willis ) is an activist and media strategist dedicated to building the power of Black transgender people. She believes that: “Black trans people are a window of possibility for the men and boys who struggle to express their emotions and be tender, to the women and girls who struggle to be seen as smart and capable leaders, to everyone in between struggles within all simultaneously – you deserve to be complicated and human.” She founded Black Trans Circles ( @blacktranscircles_tlc ), a project focused on healing justice for Black trans women in the Southern and Midwestern United States through her role at the Transgender Law Center.

In 1960, Ruby Bridges @rubybridges was the first Black child to integrate into an all-White elementary school, William Frantz Elementary, in New Orleans, Louisiana. As she says in her own words: “Over the years I have dedicated my life to promoting tolerance and unity. During this Civil Unrest, it’s crucial we stand united to protect Black & Brown lives!” ⠀

“Dr. King teaches us about the importance of protest and the courage it takes to confront the status quo,” says activist, educator and writer Brittany Packnett Cunnigham (@mspackyetti). She was a member of the 2014 Missouri Ferguson uprising after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by police, President Obama’s 21st Century Policing Task Force and is a NBC News and MSNBC Contributor. She has been an activist her whole life, been a third grade teacher, a policy leader and run non-profits. ⠀

“We fight for the right to be seen, the right to be heard, and the right to direct the course of history,” so says Stacey Abrams ( @staceyabrams ). She is a New York Times bestselling author, nonprofit CEO and political leader. After serving as Democratic Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives in 2018, Abrams became the Democratic nominee for Governor of Georgia, where she won more votes than any other Democrat in the state’s history. She currently has her eyes on become Joe Biden’s running mate for the 2020 Presidential elections.