“I just started writing for my blog and I wanted to connect and be inspired by the many young, Black women who participate,” said Nia Phillips, who, along with Linda Joseph, manages the blog Glamsavvylife. “When we create our own spaces and our own stories, we have a certain level of control that is often missing from mainstream media and popular culture. That control is beautiful.”
With Black women making up the majority of participants and facilitators, the blogging festival took on a tone of double-consciousness reminiscent of activist-publisher Ida B. Wells’ efforts to advocate for the race, and also for Black womanhood.
“As Black women, too often we are overlooked or confined within stereotypical spaces, so it is great to be a part of a movement to bring our voices to the forefront, Joseph said. “I think it is amazing to see so many Black women using blogging to express themselves and as a tool for engaging our communities.”
Panel discussions included “Don’t Quit your Day Job, Yet: Building a Successful Blog While Maintaining a Full-time Gig,” “How Bloggers Can Help Each Other Drive Traffic,” and “Tap into Your Authentic Voice: Purposeful Blogging.”
Troy Johnson, founder of the African-American Literature Book Club (AALBC), encouraged bloggers to support each other’s efforts, noting an increase in writers of African descent with fewer platforms for reviews, discussions, or exchanging information about books.
Finding the courage to present divergent narratives was a consistent theme within panel discussions presented at this year’s festival. Many participants told the AFRO that creating a network of support for emerging talent, even as they learned new techniques and disciplines themselves, was key to the success of Black bloggers.
“It was important for me to gain insight from people whose goals include trying to make better social media platforms, regardless of what stage the individual attendees find themselves,” said Buddah Desmond, who attended last year’s sessions as well. “We’re finally taking advantage of this media in order to express our stories and tell our truths for our communities. Particularly for younger people, it is a way of being heard and being seen without the filters or misinterpretations of others,” Desmond said.
BlackBloggersConnect.com was launched in June 2011 as the brainchild of community relations guru Jessica Ann Mitchell to provide a social network specifically for Black bloggers to address issues within the Pan-African world.
Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspaper
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