They Built Platforms Off Our Backs. Now We Build Our Own.

Before you post another thing this Black Friday season, read this.

Let’s be honest, fam.

For the last decade, we’ve been feeding everybody else’s machine.

We gave them our jokes, our dances, our think pieces, our pain, our genius. They turned it into valuation, ad revenue, stock prices, and “year in review” decks to show rich folks how profitable our culture is.

And what did most of us get?

A couple of viral moments, an unsteady bag, and a whole lotta “The algorithm ain’t showing my stuff.”

Here’s the truth nobody wants to say out loud:

If we don’t own the platform, we are the product.
If we don’t own the system, we are the fuel.

Heading into Black Friday, every platform is about to hit you with “boost this,” “promote that,” and “run ads now.” They want your last bit of attention, energy, and money before the year ends.

I’m not here to tell you not to post.

I’m here to tell you: post like you’re building your own house, not renting someone else’s apartment.

That looks like:

• Pointing people back to your email list, not just your timeline.

• Building your own community, not just followers.

• Using platform traffic to feed your owned ecosystem, not their quarterly earnings.

That’s literally why Kin exists: a digital home where Black creators and Black-owned brands connect, build, and OWN IT ALL.

This season, we stop begging algorithms and start building infrastructure.

Welcome home.

If you’re tired of powering everybody else’s platform for free, come inside myKin, our free community for Black creators and entrepreneurs. That’s where we’re actually building the systems behind these newsletters.

P.S. If this hit you, forward it to one creator or one Black-owned business that needs to read it today.