Written by Ber-Henda Williams, Feminine Leadership Coach
Ber-Henda Williams is a bilingual soul coach, speaker, and feminine leadership expert who helps women align their business with their soul’s purpose. With a BA in Spanish and over a decade of experience, she empowers individuals and organizations to foster cultural transformation and impactful leadership.
Social media platforms often cross the line from moderation to censorship, disproportionately silencing activists and change agents advocating for social justice and human rights. As a femolutionary advocate for multiculturalism and womanhood, I reveal how content moderation policies are weaponized against marginalized voices. Drawing on my work with The In(her) Voice Project and The Power of Girlhood, I provide actionable strategies for empathic leaders to create equitable online spaces where advocacy and activism are protected, not policed.
How social media censorship stifles activists and what empathic leadership must do
When Black Lives Matter activists took to social media to document police brutality, posts disappeared. When Indigenous land protectors organized to defend sacred sites, accounts were suspended. When feminist leaders called out systemic injustices, algorithms flagged their voices as “harmful.”
Meanwhile, hate speech, disinformation, and oppressive rhetoric continue to flourish unchecked. This isn’t content moderation; it’s digital erasure.
The very platforms that promised to democratize information and amplify marginalized voices have become gatekeepers of oppression, silencing the change-makers who disrupt the status quo. Censorship is not just about deleted posts and shadowbans—it is about control, about who gets to speak and whose truth is deemed too disruptive to exist online.
The weaponization of content moderation
As the founder of The In(her) Voice Project and former executive director of The Power of Girlhood, I worked closely with young women and femmes to harness their voices, cultivate leadership, and challenge narratives that diminish us. However, these emerging leaders frequently face systemic barriers online, including:
Flagged content: Simply for addressing racial and gender inequities.
Shadowbanning: Reducing visibility when mobilizing communities.
Account suspensions: For “violating guidelines” while extremists operate freely.
Let’s call this what it is: a digital gag order on marginalized communities.
When the algorithm becomes the oppressor
Social media algorithms claim neutrality, but in an unjust system, neutrality becomes complicity. These platforms were not built for us, yet we are the very lifeblood of digital activism.
Movements like MeToo, EndSARS, the Arab Spring, and the Climate Strikes have thrived on social media, proving our ability to ignite revolutions and demand accountability.
When an algorithm views Black joy, Indigenous resistance, or feminist discourse as “divisive,” we must ask: who is it designed to protect? If these platforms can silence social justice movements at the click of a button, whose voices are deemed worthy of amplification?
Empathic leadership: The antidote to digital erasure
Empathic leadership is about advocacy, access, and amplifying truth. It is about refusing to let big tech decide which movements matter and creating digital spaces built on equity, not exclusion.
Here’s how empathic leaders can shift the paradigm:
Own our platforms: Develop independent media, networks, and infrastructures accountable to the communities they serve.
Demand policy reform: Hold social media giants accountable for transparent and equitable policies.
Build digital sanctuary spaces: Create environments where Black, Brown, queer, and feminist leaders can speak freely without the threat of erasure.
Prioritize tech equity: Use influence in business, education, or politics to advocate for fair content policies and invest in digital activism initiatives.
A call to action: Your voice matters
To every socially conscious, spiritually grounded truth-teller who has been muted, shadowbanned, or removed – keep speaking. Keep creating. Keep showing up. Because a movement built on truth cannot be erased.
Who will you amplify today?
Read more from Ber-Henda Williams
Ber-Henda Williams, Feminine Leadership Coach
Ber-Henda Williams is a bilingual soul coach, speaker, and feminine leadership expert with over a decade of experience empowering women to align their businesses with their soul’s purpose. A Wayne State University graduate with a BA in Spanish, Ber-Henda blends her passion for cultural transformation and advocacy with her work as a coach and consultant. She has facilitated workshops for organizations such as SXSW, Alternatives for Girls, and Women Organize Michigan, inspiring transformational leadership and social impact. Through her work, she helps break generational cycles, foster cultural equity, and empower women to lead with authenticity and purpose.
