2 Black Girls. 1 World. Total Revolution

Written by Mary Ann Boateng, DM&C writer

Two Toronto area teens are on a mission to empower young girls around the globe. Aaliyah Williams, 14 and Laila Dottin,13, run an Instagram page called 2BlackGirls1World.  It’s a page they created to share their take on both the inequities and the beauty of the world.  

“My parents have always taught me to be proud of my skin colour, and who I am. It breaks my heart to know that people who look like me are viewed as a threat.” says Williams.  

In 2020, the world was compounded by the pandemic as well as a growing number of racial and gender-motivated crimes. After participating in and observing a few protests, they wanted to continue the momentum and create a forum to share information. They connected with their moms Lesley and Allison to start their page in hopes of building a community of people who were also interested in excellence and empowerment.  

“We both love to learn about new things and interact with our followers,”  says Dottin. “Our page is about representation; whether it’s age, gender, race, or stories in the media and our community.” 

The teens meet regularly to discuss current events and world issues. Then they all work together to create age-appropriate content on a variety of topics including race relations, entertainment, pop culture and the complexities of the Black experience. They produce the page while also managing school and the demands of competitive dance.  After only a few months, the teens have noticed that a diverse range of people of all ages are connecting and engaging with them. The positive feedback and encouragement they’ve received affirm they are on the right path. 

“We want this to go beyond the pandemic. We are still pretty young and have a lot to explore and experience” says Williams. They both hope their followers are also enjoying their journey with them as they listen, learn and grow.  “It’s hard to say where we’ll end up, but we hope to have helped make a difference in someone’s life.”  said Dottin.

Mary Ann Boateng is a PhD candidate in Communications and Culture..