Social Media

27 African-Americans You Should Follow on Twitter

By Dylan Kissane02/05/2016116 Comments4 Mins Read

All this week on The DOZ Blog we’ve been recognizing Black History Month. We’ve profiled a leading black voice in social media marketing, Sean Gardner, we’ve looked at ways in which marketing can be tailored to African-American audiences, and we’ve taken a retrospective look at eight startups that got national recognition when they headlined CNN’s Black in America documentary, The New Promised Land.

Today we complete our week of posts with a taste of the zeitgeist ripped straight from the most immediate of social media channels, Twitter.

At DOZ, and despite the recent waves rushing through the C-suite, we’re big fans of Twitter.

We use the social network to connect, to engage, to learn and, yes, to waste time – though this is rare, OK boss? When news breaks it’s Twitter we turn to to get live pictures and reactions from people on the ground, and whether we’re second screening Gray’s Anatomy in San Francisco or catching a Sunday night soccer match in France, Twitter is the perfect companion to keep us in the loop.

So popular has the platform become that it offers not only breaking news, sports play-by-plays, and chances to see what Shonda Rhimes has in store for viewers each week, it also offers a true taste of the cultural zeitgeist. If it’s happening and it’s important, it’s happening and probably trending on Twitter. And if you follow the right people you’ll not only get a feel for that zeitgeist, you’ll be a part of it.

Which leaves most people with one important question: who are the right people to follow?

While it’s not unusual to follow hundreds of people on Twitter and, using lists and muting those accounts that just don’t know when to stop tweeting, controlling those feeds and corralling them into something manageable is easier than ever, we thought we’d give you some accounts to follow to clue you in to black America. These aren’t necessarily the accounts that have the most followers, nor are they necessarily the people who alone define black culture in the United States. And, no, they are not necessarily representative of the incredibly popular and often times hilarious Black Twitter sub-culture.

But all are accounts that offer real value, all are leaders in their fields, and all represent some of the most interesting content creators, leaders, celebrities, politicians, sports stars, marketers and technology geeks in black America.

We’ve divided the accounts into five broad groups. Politics is just what it sounds like: the national political leaders who set the stage for the rest of the country. Celebrities includes both entertainers and savvy business people who have made their mark on the world of TV and film. Internet, Technology, and Marketing captures the accounts of those who rose to prominence through their marketing, blogs, leadership online, and in the startup world. Sports gives us a chance to highlight some of the high profile Twitter accounts of African-American sports stars, while Business captures some of the most inspirational leaders from the world of business, finance, and publishing.

We’ve added a representative tweet under each account to give you a taste of what you’ll find in their Twitter stream, and you can follow the user just by clicking on the embedded tweet.

So, without further ado, here is our list of 27 African-Americans you should follow on Twitter.

Politics

Barack Obama

Join the millions who've enrolled in the new marketplace. The deadline is January 31: https://t.co/n4c40resJs pic.twitter.com/K6AaIR0xe7

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 25, 2016

Michelle Obama

Sign up for this Saturday's National Day of Service here, and ask your friends to join you! http://t.co/pF0uLexE, pic.twitter.com/K5YTx84d

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) January 17, 2013

Mia Love

https://twitter.com/RepMiaLove/status/689530387232489472

Ben Carson

Shot some pool with @KFaulders in Iowa earlier this week. Not going to say who won but… #CandidCarson pic.twitter.com/7t3iNttd8C

— Ben & Candy Carson (@RealBenCarson) January 26, 2016

Cory Booker

"It is not possible 2 be in favor of justice for some & not be in favor of justice 4 all ." – Martin Luther King, Jr pic.twitter.com/ut3EsuOyK2

— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) January 18, 2016

Celebrities

Beyonce

Today is World Humanitarian Day.
Another Day to #Beygood #TheWorldNeedsMore http://t.co/FVEZo9dzpA

— BEYONCÉ (@Beyonce) August 19, 2013

The Rock

Cool news. Our @WWE #RAW segment drew big ratings. THANK YOU to my talented "co-stars" & especially the FANS! pic.twitter.com/9rc7sc8sV9

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) January 27, 2016

Oprah Winfrey

Eat bread. Lose weight. Whaaatttt? #ComeJoinMe https://t.co/jUgpk9ToXY https://t.co/xtnB53EwSf

— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) January 26, 2016

Will.i.am

Can't wait to watch my twin @EvaLongoria in her new comedy #Telenovela Monday Dec 7th 10/9c on NBC after #theVOICE pic.twitter.com/4uzJGxGJEE

— will.i.am (@iamwill) December 4, 2015

Shonda Rhimes

Thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes!!! pic.twitter.com/OYY0U5Fn2o

— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) January 13, 2016

Diddy

https://twitter.com/iamdiddy/status/691655995270008832

Internet, Technology and Marketing

King Bach

Bout to pull up on em cleannnnnn and dipped in butter! #FiftyShadesOfBlack pic.twitter.com/BeEFh7vRHz

— King Bach (@KingBach) January 27, 2016

Afrobella

It’s National Pie Day! Make Justice of the Pies Raspberry H… https://t.co/5uD36FpuDH | https://t.co/kHY5ptf6En pic.twitter.com/Uz2O1mOV9z

— afrobella (@afrobella) January 24, 2016

Sean Gardner

4 Ways #Travel Enhances Your #PersonalBrand and Informs Your Worldview http://t.co/aZFgbhAbnq #ttot RT @Linkedin pic.twitter.com/ngSa9eS9Mr

— Sean Gardner (@2morrowknight) April 3, 2015

Kimberly Bryant

Stumbled across this book I got 4 yrs ago. Welp none of their "tricks" worked. What worked? https://t.co/ivYzz35ZDW. pic.twitter.com/GzukAbtTAH

— kimberlybryant.eth (@6Gems) December 29, 2015

B. Bonin Bough

We all can stand to be reminded that we have value, we are strong, we have great potential.https://t.co/KQqFRVPz8F pic.twitter.com/6MeaO5spe9

— bonin (@boughb) January 27, 2016

Mike Street

pic.twitter.com/VbneEXTG6C

— Mike Street (@MrMikeStreet) January 23, 2016

Elon James White

In Santa Cruz w/ the wife & we had a spectacular Italian dinner last night. Thought about it this morning like… pic.twitter.com/sWG1vpidfv

— E. James White (@elonjames) January 23, 2016

Sports

Shaq

Come join me pic.twitter.com/UhYwIT4cOl

— SHAQ.ETH (@SHAQ) January 20, 2016

Serena Williams

How much fun am I having at the @IPTL? It's crazy. #ILoveMyTeam pic.twitter.com/MU3vd1HcSo

— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) December 8, 2015

Max Siegel

pic.twitter.com/lEZwkenmEh

— Max Siegel (@Max_Siegel) January 26, 2016

Business

Farrah Gray

#TimeFlies: 20 years ago today, the PlayStation was released. pic.twitter.com/0006sk5xKS

— Farrah Gray (@FarrahGray_) January 20, 2016

Reg Saddler

Experimenting on New or Niche Social Channels Without Wasting Time https://t.co/ApdYz1tvbc? #SocialMedia pic.twitter.com/wT15rCQJyq

— Reg Saddler (@zaibatsu) January 27, 2016

Adria Richards

Be mindful with time; you can accomplish things well beyond the imagination if you 'make' time pic.twitter.com/14u2pwmXIR

— Adria Richards (@adriarichards) December 16, 2015

Melinda Emerson

My best RTs this week came from: @BigSteveShow @GCugini @Staples #thankSAll Who were yours? https://t.co/c4x7HwdG86 pic.twitter.com/cgoQ1MYngP

— Melinda Emerson (@SmallBizLady) January 26, 2016

Tracy Clayton

JOLLIBEEEEEEEEE! https://t.co/4Wt6CysiOe cc @_MelanieV pic.twitter.com/H1yJSSKSy9

— tracy aka Bhad Bhooster (@brokeymcpoverty) January 22, 2016

Alfred Edmond Jr.

You'd expect me, as coauthor, to say this, but if you've yet to read Loving In The Grown Zone, you need to. Really. pic.twitter.com/48a9Y28mj6

— Alfred Edmond Jr (@AlfredEdmondJr) January 27, 2016

Wayne Sutton

With the #family @TheRealFreada @EricaJoy @6Gems @tristanwalker @fakerapper @makinde @chudson @BNicholson83 pic.twitter.com/qNTBaoQpFv

— Wayne Sutton (@waynesutton) January 4, 2016