For once this is going to be a relatively short article. It’s possible comments could be long or many; we’ll see how this goes.
colorful family
First, a preamble. Back in 2012, I posted my first article on a series of posts I was going to put out on every Friday called Black Web Friday. This came as a result of seeing a post on Problogger where this woman put out a list of the top 50 bloggers in the world… and there wasn’t a single black person on her list. When I commented on it she said she didn’t know any, and almost all the other comments were directed at me saying she didn’t have to know any because it was her list. I wrote back saying she didn’t say it was her list specifically, and not knowing any black bloggers said more about her than me.
That’s when I decided I was going to try to help get the word out about black bloggers. So, for almost six months I posted at least 4 black bloggers every Friday, linking to their sites and letting them know I’d done it via Twitter. They weren’t all traditional blogs; some were news and entertainment sites concerning black people. I had a goal in mind and I wasn’t to be deterred.
Until… I realized that I was doing a lot of work and only a few people cared that I was highlighting them. One thing I’ve always said is that I’m not going to work harder for anyone else if they don’t care about it. Thus, the last one I did at the time was June of 2012; that was a long time ago. Then, because I just couldn’t stop myself, I did another post in 2017, where I highlighted a bunch of black blogs and websites once again.
That’s the last time I did anything; I was tired of promoting people who didn’t care. By the way, it’s not just black people who didn’t care; often it seems that when you share a link back to someone else’s blog or website and you let them know about it, overwhelming they don’t care… or at least they don’t let you know they cared. I’ve seen a retweet or two here and there, but little true acknowledgement.
Then George Floyd happened, and I’ve been in a horrible state of mind for the last month. I’m calming down now, which is always a good thing, and I’ve written some articles and done a couple of videos on the overall topic because creating content helps me get my mind set right.
Yet, this thought about what I tried to do previously came back to me. I decided it was time to give it another shot; only I’m not doing all the work this time around. Now it’s time for others to help out, whether it’s themselves or someone else they know.
Here’s the rules, or game, or whatever you want to call it. On this post only, I’d like to see people sharing links to blogs by people of color. Yes, I’m expanding it from just black people; when all is said and done, we’re all in this together. Just to let you know up front, putting a link in the comment section will automatically send your comment to my pending area, but if it fits the qualifications I’ll pull it out and make sure it’s seen.
The main rule is it’s only for American authors and blogs, and it’s only for people of color. My reasoning is simple.
On the first, I’m American and I’m looking to promote American people of color for once. We’re a highly overlooked group of people and I think a bit of recognition is in order.
On the second, before I get the first “isn’t this list discriminatory against white people” kind of comment, I want you to think about this in terms of Children’s Day. If you don’t know this one, a child goes to a parent and says “There’s a Father’s Day and a Mother’s Day; shouldn’t there be a Children’s Day?” The response from the parent is “Every day is Children’s Day”.
That’s how it is for people of color in the United States. As an example, out of the top 100 blogs on this list of top bloggers, there’s only one person of color (actually a group) on it. There are others in a way, but I’m of the opinion that if you’re Indian and you’re writing your blog in India that you’re not quite a person of color based on American standards… that and you’re not American for the purposes of this article.
There it is; let’s see what y’all come up with. Oh, one more piece of criteria is the latest blog post must be within 6 months from today’s date. Also, I was wrong; this wasn’t as short as I thought it would be… sorry about that.
Well, now – I think even before I met you and Sharon, I met Ms. Ileane. I think of her as the Mother of Bloggers, all around the world.
https://ileanesmith.com/
Thanks for sharing Ileane’s blog, Holly. Truthfully I’d almost forgotten she had this other space, as I still think of her as the owner of Basic Blog Tips, which is more for guest posts these days.
Mitch, you mentioned Marcie Hill and her Marcie Writes in your 2017 post. I would second that one. And, Holly, I’d definitely say you picked a great one. I’ve followed Ileane Smith since I 1st started freelancing in 2008.
Another great site is Yuwanda Black’s blog, Inkwell Editorial, https://inkwelleditorial.com/ with fabulous tips on self-publishing, SEO, and other writing tips.
Thank you for your contribution Cathy. I’ve never heard of this particular blog, but I’m heading over as soon as I finish this comment. I’ve tried highlighting a lot of folks over the years, and both Ileane and Marcie have been solid for a long time.
I’ve become less enthused and consequently less active in blogging over the past few years, so I don’t really do much in the way of sharing links or promoting blogs like I once did. I’ve linked to your blog on occasion and you’ve guest posted on my blog. But it wasn’t because of race or anything like that. It was because of interest in subject matter and the like.
Blogging and other social media has seemed to become so fractious in recent years. I’m still here, but barely much of the time. I don’t like doing things because of race (or some other grouping), but because of specific interests or niches or because I’m just doing blog promotion (my own or another’s).
Maybe I’ll eventually get back on fire for blogging, but for now I’m trying to do other things. And besides that maybe I’m just getting older and more tired. These days I’d rather watch TV than say stuff on line. Sad, but that’s the way it is for me these days. I enjoy debate, but I’m tired of the hate.
I gotta admire your blogging persistence!
Old and tired; that I understand. As for race, I’m committed to doing it because it’s a group that’s under served. Of course, like most people who guest post, they don’t take advantage of opportunities to get the word out about themselves or sometimes their friends, then sit back & complain that people don’t like visiting blogs anymore. I read your blog and you always have a nice representation when it comes to visitors. I only wish I knew more about the bands you highlight so maybe one day I’ll actually be able to participate (I think I did once a long time ago).
You know I gotta give a shout-out to my girls:
Sharon Hurley Hall and Lisa Hurley are the Introvert Sisters. They decided to do something together during the quarantine: start a podcast! Here is one I particularly enjoyed:
Michelle, Jill & Erykah: How Black Girl Magic is Helping to Get Us Through the Pandemic.
Cheers,
Mitch
That’s a good link; I listened to a different podcast; wasn’t ready for the accent! lol Thanks for sharing Mitchell.
Hey Mitch, I promised to drop a couple of names here. Lisa Irby blogs about website creation. http://www.lisairby.com/
Then there’s Bamidele Onibalusi of Writers in Charge https://www.writersincharge.com/websites-that-pay/
And Luvvie of https://www.awesomelyluvvie.com/
Good stuff Sharon. I knew about Lisa’s blog You forgot to mention your own blog, which I didn’t know you had (you used to have a different one). I’m sharing that link now, since I didn’t have to search for it lol https://sharonhh.com/blog-2
Also dropping another comment to say thanks to Mitch A for being a faithful listener.
I get it about the accent, Mitch M. You have an idea in your head what people will sound like, and they often don’t.
The accent threw me because I didn’t know you weren’t living somewhere in the States; bad assumption on my part. lol
Meanwhile, someone shared another blog with me but didn’t want to write a comment: https://cirdecsongs.com
https://chechewinnie.wordpress.com/
https://hashtaghappyforever.wordpress.com/about-2/
https://bwhi.org/blogs/
http://nativeappropriations.com/
https://viewsfromtheclearing.wordpress.com/
That’s great sharing; thanks! 🙂
I was taking a walk and laughing at myself because that’s just the way my day went”Get what you need to done and get onto the next thing”. I realized that I missed the point – not commenting and just sharing the websites of black POC wasn’t the real idea. I’ll come back another day, a better day. Sorry.
LOL! At least you left links that people can check out. Of course, a really nice thing to do would be to let these folks know you shared their link here. 🙂
Here’s a woman who recently visited my blog. I like her blog because it falls under the heading of “random thoughts” that aren’t necessarily “how to”. I’d like an over 50-60 version of her.
https://talkoutdaily.com/about/
In my last comment I included a couple of Native American blogs. They are another population without a institutionally recognized voice.
The age thing must be why you like my blog! lol You’re totally correct about Native Americans, so I’m glad you’ve shared a blog from someone in that community.
OMG! What a concept – let them know. I have so much to learn from you. I hope I have time…
And, oh please.. the age thing? I’d be lucky if you were my son!
You mentioned the 50-60 thing; I’m at the top of that range. I’ve always assumed we were probably close in age, only I’ve never had any children, so no grandchildren around to spoil.
This is wonderful! Thank you so much for doing this! I love this lady. She’s super talented and compassionate. https://www.instagram.com/havilahmalone/?hl=en
He’s a great picture book author and teacher https://arree.com/
This makes me realize I need to follow more blogs in general and especially BIPOC.
We also now have your website, on which you have a pretty good blog, so take a moment for yourself 🙂
I respect your criteria.
But… why not focussed on authentic & quality content blogs instead of skin color?
Since you asked a question like that, I have to assume you didn’t read the article since I explained it in the 2nd & 3rd paragraphs. Read them and understand… or not.
Hello Mitch,
I have read and understand it, so I indirectly stated it in my first sentence above: “I respect your criteria”.
In the second sentence it’s just my question.
You may not answer it if you object. It’s okay, I understand the situation is not right for you.
Just relax my friend.
I’ll answer it more directly. Every list you’ll find listing someone’s “quality” either never has a single black person on it or maybe just one out of 50 – 100. The criteria for quality is only based on who and what people know, never quality or ranking. Years ago one of the people listed in the comments had her blog ranked around 7,500, but she never appeared on anyone’s list, probably because she was a black woman and none of the people creating the lists knew about her. I even contacted a few people who created those lists and asked about them and was told they didn’t know any people of color so they couldn’t be on their lists. That’s why I concentrate on skin color when it comes to things like this; we’ve been ignored long enough, and I’m giving people a chance to share other they know. It has to be Americans because if a person’s country or origin is only comprised of people of color, it means something different than it does here.
Did that help?
The point of your answer is actually already in your posts. Well… that’s okay. Your good will isn’t wrong either.
Personal blogs are very personal and what is written tends to be based on the subjectivity (criteria) of the owner. I personally do NOT make it a valid benchmark. So “emotionally” I was not affected.
I browse the internet to find material that I want to know or learn, no matter if it ends on a black, white, yellow, or colored blog. The important thing is the content gives meaning, information, and enriches my knowledge.