Tacoma “Momfluencer” Shares the Joy of Black Parenting

The Influencer Mom, Tash Haynes, Tacoma mom to a 3-, 5-, and 11-year-old

Tash Haynes (@itstashhaynes) knows a few things about family life on the internet. She is not only a momfluencer with over 30,000 Instagram followers, she’s also the Community Manager for FamFluence Talent Management, an agency representing family-focused digital content creators.

Haynes’ journey into social media began in 2019 with a mission to positively represent Black family life amidst a social media landscape that felt limited in diversity. “It started as wanting to showcase more Black families who were doing similar things as our [non-Black] counterparts,” Haynes explains. She says in the midst of a socio-political moment where widespread racial injustice was making headlines, she was inspired to present images that showed the joy and familial bonds of her own family’s experiences.

A woman of faith, Haynes prioritizes integrity in her content creation. “I do not compromise who I am for anyone or anything,” she states, ensuring her partnerships with brands such as Penguin Kids and Tacoma Arts Live align with her values. This commitment to authenticity extends to how she handles the privacy of her family. She prioritizes living in the moment rather than through her phone in order to maintain a balance between public sharing and private living.

Haynes believes that social media has significantly impacted modern parenting, both in positive and negative ways. On one end, she sees how the internet has expanded access to diverse parenting styles. But she also knows that social media can foster unhealthy comparisons.

Understanding the inherent exposure that comes with her public role, Haynes says that her online journey has reinforced the importance of maintaining integrity and staying mindful that “whatever you say or do, you have to be okay with it living in the world forever.”

When occasional criticisms do surface, Haynes views these moments as opportunities for clarification or personal growth. Looking forward, Haynes sees the enduring importance of genuine, clear communication in sharing online, which she sees as crucial for shaping conversations around family dynamics, child-rearing and equitable representation in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Meet more Puget Sound families: 

• The Attached Authoritarian: Shukri Olow, Kent mom of two
• The Pressured Daughter-Turned-Gentle Parent: Suzie Driscoll, Shoreline mom of one
• The Lighthouse Parent: Moffett Burgess, Queen Anne mom of two
• The High Tech Dad: Andrew Wilcox, Phinney Ridge dad of two
• The Unified Team Parent: Pamela Savagaonkar, North Bend mom of four
• The Democratic Authoritarian: Reanne Gamet, South Seattle mom of three