Danielle Coke
Danielle Coke’s optimistic attitude and passion for social justice is what fuels her life. A self-described artivist, she combines her two loves - art and activism - and has turned that into a thriving career as a change-maker who impacts the culture, aiming to simplify complex issues and provide tangible ways for people to make a difference in their communities.
But that wasn’t always the case. As a young 20-something living in Atlanta, skill for graphic design and talent in marketing found Danielle working for an event planning agency after college. It was a good starting point - a job where she was able to share her gift for hospitality and create magical moments for others. Her childhood love of all things Disney made her see the world through the lens of awe and wonder, which helped her thrive in the role. In addition to that, she began to seek ways to have a greater impact in the lives of those around her. As her belief solidified that every day people could make a true difference, she found happiness and joy in devoting her spare time to small social justice projects. That helped her find a greater purpose in supporting others, which is how she discovered she wanted more for her life. Over time, the desire to put more energy toward being a social justice advocate grew and she knew she had to set out on a different path.
That path found Danielle saving up money to take a bold risk - quitting her job in 2019 to start her entrepreneurial career. With the launch of her first business, a social media agency, she dedicated herself to helping positive mission-based brands use their social media outlets for good. While building her business and brand, visibility to racial tensions in the world increased. She started to use art as an outlet for making sense of what was happening in society.
Fast-forward to January 2020 when Danielle’s illustration hobby compelled her to create one of her first posts for social media. She centered her infographics around racial reconciliation, optimism and her faith. Her work was accessible, impactful and came across as compassionate while still remaining straightforward and culturally relevant.
It’s those elements that resonated with others, who leveraged her posts to feel a sense of community and used her tips as a call to action to affect their spheres of influence in a positive way. Her posts were viewed and shared over and over and as people reached out to thank her, it was with disbelief that she realized she had gained almost 300,000 new followers within one week.
Today, Danielle calls herself blessed to have more than 400,000 friends who have joined her in her mission to help people see that making a difference doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Today her infographics aim to help others practice active allyship for communities of color. Her topics cover a wide range, including how to have hard conversations with family members and children about systemic racism, how to change the kinds of media you’re consuming, and how to hold your workplace or other businesses accountable for being anti-racist.
She remains vocal about allyship and amplification of voices, especially to non-BIPOC social media influencers who may feel the need to elevate their own voices over those of color. “Staying silent is no longer an option, and influencers with large audiences have a sphere of impact that I will never be able to tap into,” Danielle said in a June 2020 interview with Buzzfeed News. “We all have a responsibility to condemn oppression and make a change.”
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All images are courtesy of Danielle Coke: @ohhappydani.
Written by Cosette Strong:
Writer | DEI Champion | Cultural Alchemist | Certified Human Performance Coach | Certified Learning Architect | Collaborative Creative | Lifelong Learner
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