Meet Chisom Okorafor | Tiktok Political Commentator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chisom Okorafor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chisom, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
I like to think that my videos help contextualize the world for people. In our fast-paced world, too much of politics gets to people as disparate pieces of information with no connections between them. What I try to do is take current events and highlight the larger historical trends between each happening that make our world make sense. For example, one of my biggest issues recently has been talking a lot about how I think the Democrats aren’t a viable choice for making political progress anymore. I think if you don’t have a way to analyze history and political trends properly, you were likely blindsided by the 2024 red wave. My job is to make people aware that when things like this happen, it’s not because they were inevitable, or because millions of individuals simply made bad, irrational choices. Rather, politics are guided by the actions and ideologies of those in power, and the way the political system reinforces certain belief systems. If you understand the context you exist in, you can extrapolate to the future and adjust accordingly. I’m sometimes criticized as an idealist, as many progressive political thinkers are, but in many ways I think of myself as more pragmatic than centrist liberals have shown themselves to be. It’s not idealist to use the past as a guide for the future; what’s really idealistic is expecting historical trends to change just because of your own “common-sense” assessment.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I started making TikTok videos in late 2019, and my channel really started growing over the pandemic. At that time, I was still just a kid in high school trying to talk about things I had no expertise in at all. I’ve grown a lot since then, and I like to think I’m more careful about the words I choose. I’ve done a lot more learning about the world since I was 16 talking about Black Lives Matter. Even though many of my progressive opinions haven’t changed, I now understand better why I believe things.

I’ve also had to learn self-moderation. Social media is designed to be addictive, and when you’re a content creator, that can weigh pretty heavily on your mental health. The public can be fickle. I’ve literally had times where I’m getting overwhelmingly negative feedback one day, just to get overwhelmingly positive feedback the next. Neither of the two extremes are good for your self-perception. It’s important to not let social media validation be so central to your idea of yourself that you become dependent on it. I have over 200,000 followers. It’s very trippy to think of those people as real human beings who’ve decided to give me the time of day, who believed my opinions were valuable enough to listen to on a daily basis. I’m humbled by the honor, but it’s tempting to think of them as just numbers on a screen. To balance that responsibility with my own mental health, I have to be selective about what I respond to.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I go to school in San Francisco. I absolutely love the city and how much it seems like you’ll never run out of things to do. I’m in love with the view of the Bay and the Golden Gate bridge that I get to see every day – it features regularly in my sketchbook. If I were to bring a friend here, here’s what an itinerary might look like:
Day 1 – We definitely have to hit up Haight Street. I love books, and there’s an amazing anarchist bookstore called Bound Together Bookstore there. We’ll also go to El Rancho Grande, this Mexican chain restaurant that has the absolute best birria tacos. I normally don’t eat red meat, but these tacos are absolutely worth it.
Day 2 – Of course, we have to go down to Market Street. I once went to a Rage Room there, and I recommend to any student facing down exams: go to a Rage Room a few days before your tests. You’ll walk out a changed person. On the way back, we’ll get some burgers from Uncle Boy’s on Balboa Street. It’s pretty inexpensive, and I love their chicken sandwiches.
Day 3 – For Day 3, I’m thinking we check out Golden Gate Park for a walk by the Conservatory of Flowers and check out the de Young Museum. I’ve taken advantage of their free resident days a lot. I also love the Japanese Tea Gardens. On this day, we’ll stop by The Sacred Grounds Cafe for some calm conversation – I love their London Fog.
Day 4 – We have to go to Chinatown. I had never had dim sum before I came to the city, but I fell in love with it immediately. I’d also want to hit up the San Francisco public library on this day – you wouldn’t believe the services that are available through public libraries!
Day 5 – We’ll go down to Pier 39. I actually prefer the area around the Pier more than the Pier itself. There are always a million things to do around there. I love all the little obscure museums. I once went to the San Francisco Railway Museum and had a blast.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to thank my parents. Even though we don’t see eye-to-eye on a lot (like, a lot, a lot), they’ve always encouraged me to think for myself and nurtured my intellectual capabilities, and for that, I can’t be more grateful. Love you, Mom and Dad!

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