Supporting Black Creators on TikTok: Quen Williams

At TikTok, we are dedicated to supporting creators who use our platform to educate and inform the community about their careers and experiences. Through our Creator Spotlight Series, we highlight trendsetting creatives who teach others on the platform. In our latest feature, we introduce @quenwilliamss, a full-time real estate agent and creator who uses TikTok to make home-buying accessible for the Black community. Quen demystifies the home ownership process and provides insights into working as a Black real estate agent. Her goal is to make home ownership understandable and achievable for all viewers, and her passion for helping others is truly inspiring.

Quen shares her professional journey, inspiration, and favorite Black creators in her own words. She started creating on TikTok after scrolling through the platform for a year. Her first video was posted shortly after the death of George Floyd, where she expressed her confusion about the lack of accountability for police in America. Coming from a military background, Quen compared the accountability for American soldiers' actions against foreign enemies to the lack of accountability for American police against citizens.

TikTok is the perfect platform for Quen's content because of its short-form nature, making it easy for people to engage with her videos. Her favorite TikTok video to date is when she celebrated her two-year mark in real estate, having closed almost 100 homes as a young, Black, and relatively new agent. The video went viral, and the overwhelming support she received from millions of people was a standout moment for her.

What lights a fire in Quen is helping people. From a young age, she wanted to be a doctor or psychologist to fulfill her desire to help others. Her time as a medic in the Army allowed her to do just that. Now, as a real estate agent with a platform on TikTok, she can help even more people than she ever imagined.

Madam CJ Walker is the Black historical figure who inspires Quen the most. Learning about her story in elementary school left a lasting impression on Quen. Madam CJ Walker's journey of pulling herself up by the bootstraps to become the first self-made Black American millionaire serves as a constant reminder for Quen that she can overcome any obstacles and achieve her goals.

Quen's advice for new creators is to be authentic and create content they genuinely enjoy. She emphasizes not creating content solely to go viral, as staying true to oneself will attract the right audience.

Being a Trailblazer, to Quen, means paving the way for the next generation of Black TikTok creators. She believes that when one of them succeeds, they all succeed.

Quen recommends following several Black creators on TikTok. @rynnstar, who discusses linguistics, racial equity, and justice. @mayaechols, a model who delves into Black history and stereotypes about the Black community. And @crutches_and_spice, who shares insights on being a Black woman with disabilities and the intersectionality of her experiences.