SARN Top Voices 2023

Hello friends,

When I compiled my personal list of top voices in anti-racism last year, I already knew I wanted to make it an annual event.

So once a few months had passed, I started thinking about how I’d tackle this year’s list. For example, should I repeat people? Should I stick to LinkedIn only? How many people should be on the list? And so on…

In the end, I decided to keep it to ten people. I also decided not to feature anyone on last year’s list (yes, they’re still worth following and I still read all their stuff, but I want to bring some other voices to the fore).

Just like last year, these are Black and Global Majority folx whose content I read on LinkedIn (kinda sorta), whose anti-racism perspectives I value, and who post about racism and anti-racism consistently.

While there are folx posting great stuff about DEI, that’s not what this list is about, and I may have to publish a separate list for them in the future. In fact, I’ve already started putting it together, so watch this space.

So, without further ado, here’s the SARN Anti-Racism Top Voices 2023 list. They’re listed in alphabetical order by first name.

1. Erin Corine Johnson

As I mentioned in our recent interview, I connected with Erin during the pandemic, and we’ve had a couple of great calls. Since I’ve known her, she’s become even more vocal about anti-racism, collective liberation, and the call for reparations. Here’s one example: We are not living in different times. You can also learn more on the Hola Magnolia website.

2. Jacquie Abram

Jacquie Abram is best known as the author of Hush Money, a phenomenal book, reviewed excellently in this newsletter by Lisa Hurley. Since publishing the book, Jacquie has become even more vocal about workplace racism, sharing experiences on LinkedIn, and elsewhere, such as this appearance on Real Talk on Racism.

Please check her out and of course, buy her book if you haven’t already.

3. Janice Gassam Asare

If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, you’ll see that articles by Janice regularly turn up in the monthly reading lists. I enjoy Janice’s brand of thoroughly-researched, evocative and action-oriented truth-telling. For example, read: Defunding Diversity: How Academia Is Failing Black Faculty. Learn more about Janice on her website and the Pink Elephant Newsletter.

4. Jean Lud Cadet

Jean Lud is another LinkedIn connection known for thoughtful and educational posts. As a doctor, he often highlights medical racism, but covers other topics, too. He introduced me to the term CHOSSA (Children of Stolen and Sold Africans) and covers a wide range of racism related topics. Here’s one that stood out to me, about workplace experiences for Black professionals.

5. Merlin J. Star

Merlin is the originator of the #AntiRacismSocialSaturday hashtag on LinkedIn - a move to use social Saturday to find and connect with people posting in the anti-racism space. I added a few colleagues and advocates to my network as a result. They also speak about racism from a Black and nonbinary lens. Though Merlin is no longer on LinkedIn (they say why in Leaving LinkedIn May 25th permanently), you can find their content on their website.

6. Paul Ladipo

I can’t remember how I discovered Paul’s work, but I always look forward to his posts. They’re unapologetic and educational, and the comment threads are usually on fire. Here’s an example on “good white people” and racism. As well as LinkedIn, you can connect with Paul on the Critical Conversations Consulting website.

7. Pharoah Bolding

I had the pleasure of a meeting with Pharoah sometime in 2021. He manages to be soft-spoken and fiery at the same time, and the fire definitely comes out in his weekly “opening thought” posts which are excerpts of longer articles. His recent post titled Meanwhile is a great example.

8. Rebecca Stevens Alder

Rebecca is a writer I connected with when I first start writing about racism more regularly. She writes primarily on Medium, but has recently been sharing more of her perspectives on LinkedIn. I always feel like we have a lot in common, and that’s been enhanced by the conversations we’ve had. Rebecca is prolific and direct - a great person to learn from. Here’s one of her recent articles: If You Want To Own Black Slaves, There’s A Video Game That Can Let You Do Just That.

9. Shayla S Dube

Shayla describes herself as a “decolonial space holder” and intersectional justice advocate grounded in UBUNTU and SANKOFA - so you know exactly what to expect - countering anti-racism and anti-Blackness with a lot of wisdom for good measure. While I enjoy Shayla’s posts, do yourself a favour and check out her comments too - that’s often where we engage, and there’s lots to learn there. This post on equitable coexistence is inspiring.

10. Shereen Daniels

Last year, I left people with huge followings out of the list, which is the ONLY reason Shereen wasn’t on it then. I’ve followed her since the start of my own journey of being more vocal about anti-racism. Since publishing her book, Shereen has got even more direct about the need to be anti-racist, both personally and professionally. I found this post on how folx engage with conversations about racism particularly insightful.

One of the reasons I’m compiling the list, and will compile others in the future, is because I totally believe we can and must crown and give flowers to the people whose work resonates with us. I really appreciate the insights from all these folx on the list, and know I’ll continue to follow them and learn from them. I hope you’ll do the same, and won’t just read their content, but will hire them to speak and support their programmes.

Whose anti-racism content do you most value?

Thanks for reading,

Sharon

PS. Don’t you think Juneteenth is the perfect day to publish this list?

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© Sharon Hurley Hall, 2023. All Rights Reserved.

I am an anti-racism educator and activist, Co-Founder of Mission Equality, the author of “I’m Tired of Racism”, and co-host of The Introvert Sisters podcast.