Michelle Taylor, known professionally as Feminista Jones, is an American social worker and writer. She is a contributor to Black Twitter and writes about Black feminism. She developed the social media campaigns #NMOS14 and #YouOKSis and has written for The Washington Post, Salon, TIME, and Ebony. Jones authored Reclaiming Our Space: How Black Feminism is Changing the World from the Tweets to the Streets .
Jones previously worked at Witnesses to Hunger, a project of Drexel University's Center for Hunger-Free Communities. In 2013, Jones was selected as a United Nations Foundation Fellow for her social media influence. In 2014, she launched a global anti-street harassment campaign and a National Moment of Silence protesting police brutality, both of which received international media attention. #NMOS14, also known as National Moment of Silence, was used to organize national vigils after the death of Michael Brown. Jones' goal, "Even if you don't experience something, it doesn't mean it didn't happen" is used to shed a light on all of the police violence that is ignored. She supports Black Lives Matters and racial justice initiatives, and encourages white people to take a role in fighting racism. She stated in an interview, "I support you, and not only do I support you but I am here with you rolling up my sleeves and asking, what do I need to do?" In 2014, Jones tweeted about her own experience intervening in an incident of street harassment in New York. Another user, Mia McKenzie, suggested turning the phrase she had used to check in with the woman--"You OK, sis"—into a hashtag campaign designed to raise awareness and encourage people to ask victims of harassment if they are okay or if they need help. Hundreds of people began using the hashtag as a means to report street harassment. Taylor was a featured speaker at the Philadelphia Women's March that took place on January 21, 2017. She primarily discussed difference between allies and co-conspirators during her speech.
Other work
In 2015, Jones co-founded and served as general director of the Women's Freedom Conference, the first all-digital conference completely organized by and featuring only women of color. For her work, she was named one of 2015 "Voices of the Year". Jones has written several articles for the Washington Post, Salon, TIME.com, and TheEbony.com. She has also been regularly featured on Huffington Post Live, has appeared on the Dr. Oz Show and the Exhale Show, and her work has been featured on C-SPAN and MSNBC.. Jones also advocates for young children as well as the homeless that have psychiatric disabilities. Jones wrote an article for The Washington Post titled, "Keep Harriet Tubman- and all women- off the $20 bill", published on May 14, 2015. She wrote this article after considering Black women's historic role in the creation of capitalism and the free market. She argues that it is not right to place Black women on money, especially Harriet Tubman, due to the historic lack of access to wealth by women and especially women of color. She also argues that placing Tubman on the $20 bill is counterproductive because it covers up her history of activism. Jones wrote, "Her legacy is rooted in resisting the foundation of American capitalism."
''Reclaiming Our Space''
In 2019, Jones published Reclaiming Our Space: How Black Feminism is Changing the World from the Tweets to the Streets. The book explores how Black feminism has evolved through the use of social media and includes autobiographical segments, analysis of Twitter and hashtag movements that were inspired by Black women, and interviews with public figures and activists such as CaShawn Thompson and Glynda Carr. The book was well received. Publishers Weekly wrote that Feminista Jones "astutely analyzes the nuances of black female identity." Kirkus Reviews described the book as, "Sharp and provocative, the narrative is most powerful in its implication that, unless born to privilege, all Americans, regardless of race or gender, now 'feel something akin to what Black people...have always experienced.' Understanding black struggles is therefore critical for everyone."
