OPINION ARTICLE
For the longest time, magazines, media outlets and platforms that talked about and dealt with issues that confront people of colour were few and far in-between.
We were often subtly and openly stereotyped in mainstream media and that was not doing good for us and our self-esteem.
However, with the rise of social media, a lot of people of colour have created pages or have been using their personal social media pages to talk about the issues that we uniquely deal with as people of colour.
They often serve doses of inspiration, showing us we can become whatever we set our minds to and that we shouldn’t conform to any form of negative stereotype.
Here are a few of the pages that have been doing this very well.
https://www.instagram.com/talkblackmedia/?hl=en
1. Talk Black Media. This is a page on Instagram that deals with a variety of different topics.
It deals with many of the things and issues that people of colour face. It celebrates black culture, our African heritage, our skin and the things that make us different.
It also spotlights people of colour who are making positive impacts in their different fields of endeavor.
It also openly talks about issues about police brutality, Black Lives Matter, racism and skin toning. These are things we do not see explicitly discussed in mainstream media.
If you want a page that talks about things that are unique to you and the things you face on a daily basis as a person of colour, you should be following this page.
2. The Breakfast Club. This has grown over the years to become more-than-just another radio show.
It is an American syndicated radio show based in New York City hosted by DJ Envy, Angela Yee and Charlamagne tha God. It is now in itself almost like a movement.
It spotlights different people of all races from all around the world and they are asked all sorts of questions.
The show is very much based on hip hop culture, however, almost every topic that affects us as people of culture would easily find expression on it.
You should follow the page on YouTube, to watch daily interviews with some of your favourite celebrities and people making a difference in our world and hear them being questioned from a black people’s perspective.
3. MYM: Million Youth Media. Another very good YouTube page. Due to the rise of drug addiction, gang activity, depression, unprotected sex, and knife violence among people of colour in the UK and Ireland; the page uploads short films on regular basis, that talk about these ills.
One really good thing about the films is that they are not super high-budget. They have a honest ring to them that normal mainstream movies can never match.
They are made by mostly amateurs who are obviously passionate about the ills in our community and genuinely want to lend their voices to make a change.
4. Oprah Winfrey. Oprah is one of the most inspirational voices in the black community. The story of how she came out of nothing, did what everyone said was impossible and became the top voice in the black media sphere is so inspirational.
However, what is even more inspirational is the way she echoes the voices of other people of colour doing great things around the world.
One thing you would get by following her Instagram page is that, there is nothing wrong with being a person of colour and you can achieve anything you set your mind to do.
