Facebook Disabled My Account but Did Not Silence My Voice.
By Yanice Y. Carter | Publisher, The Chronicle News
Don’t just make your voice heard. Make your presence known.
There are moments in life that force you to reconsider how you move, how you lead, and how you define your presence in the world. For me, one of those moments came in October 2026, when Facebook permanently disabled my personal account. Suddenly, years of connections, conversations, photographs, memories, and professional relationships were beyond my reach. What began as a social media problem quickly became something much bigger.
I won’t pretend the experience didn’t hurt, because it did. I was frustrated, disappointed, and deeply concerned about what the decision meant for the organizations I had worked so hard to build. My appeal was rejected, and I found myself navigating a system that offered few clear answers. But somewhere in the middle of that frustration, I remembered something important: my purpose was never tied to an account, because it was always tied to people.
When a Personal Account Becomes a Business Crisis
As publisher of The Chronicle News and founder of Lansing Community Catalyst, I rely on communication to connect people with information, resources, and opportunities. Losing access to my personal Facebook account also disrupted my ability to manage several business and organizational pages, including The Chronicle News and The Sunday Chronicle. Our original Chronicle Instagram account was disabled as well, creating additional challenges for our digital operations. These disruptions affected far more than my personal online presence; they interfered with the work of serving communities.
For 40 years, The Chronicle News has told stories, elevated voices, documented history, and connected communities throughout Michigan. We were doing this work long before Facebook existed, and our mission has never depended on any single platform. Social media has provided valuable opportunities to expand our reach, but it does not define our credibility, our relationships, or our purpose. The foundation of our newspaper has always been the trust we build with the people we serve.
How I’m Fighting Back
I have never believed that standing up for yourself requires standing still while someone else decides your future. Rather than quietly accepting the disruption, I began documenting what happened, preserving records, and seeking answers through available support and accountability channels. I have also engaged legal counsel to examine the impact on my businesses, professional relationships, and reputation. I intend to continue pursuing appropriate avenues for accountability while remaining focused on the work our communities depend upon.
Fortunately, my intern, Nasaan Jackson, retained administrative access to The Chronicle News Facebook page, allowing us to continue sharing news and updates with our readers. While I could no longer manage the page myself, his access provided an important lifeline during an incredibly frustrating time. He stepped in to help maintain our presence and ensure that our community remained connected to the stories and information we publish. It was a powerful reminder that building a strong team means having people who can step forward when unexpected challenges arise.
i believe fighting back means refusing to let one technology company determine whether our stories reach the people who need them. We are rebuilding our digital presence, strengthening our website and other social channels, and reviewing how we maintain access to the audiences we have worked so hard to cultivate. Our replacement Instagram account and unified @thechroniclenews86 social media identity are part of that effort. The Chronicle News will continue publishing, interviewing, distributing newspapers, and showing up in communities regardless of what happens with my personal Facebook account.
Tell Five People: Why Your Voice Matters
Out of this experience comes a simple request with a much larger purpose: Tell Five People. Tell five people about The Chronicle News, encourage them to follow our current social media accounts, and share our stories with someone who may not know we exist. When a platform disruption affects thousands of established connections, every new conversation helps us reconnect with readers and strengthen our community network. This is about more than rebuilding follower counts; it is about making sure independent Black journalism remains visible, accessible, and supported.
Think about what happens when one person tells five people, and each of those five tells five more. A simple conversation can become a growing network of readers, supporters, businesses, students, and community leaders. Those connections help local stories travel farther and introduce our work to people who might never encounter it through an algorithm. Tell Five People is our invitation to turn a digital setback into a community-powered comeback.
We are asking readers to follow @thechroniclenews86, share our reporting, subscribe to our channels, and introduce The Chronicle News to friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors. We also encourage people to visit our website, listen to The Sunday Chronicle, and support the businesses and organizations that make independent journalism possible. Every share, referral, conversation, and advertising partnership helps sustain a publication committed to telling the stories of our communities. No one needs a large following or a public platform to make a meaningful contribution.
The Bigger Conversation
My experience has also raised important questions about the power digital platforms hold over small businesses, independent publishers, and community organizations. What happens when years of professional relationships and audience development can be disrupted by an account decision that is difficult to challenge? How do entrepreneurs protect their livelihoods when communication tools they depend on suddenly become unavailable? And what responsibility should technology companies have to provide transparent processes and meaningful opportunities to seek review?
These questions are not limited to my circumstances, and I believe they deserve a broader public conversation. Independent media organizations and small businesses often operate without the resources or technical support available to larger corporations. When access disappears, the consequences can extend to advertising relationships, community outreach, public trust, and daily operations. I hope that sharing my experience encourages other business owners to strengthen their systems and advocate for fairer digital practices.
Our Purpose Remains
Through all of this, I have been reminded that resilience is not simply about surviving difficult circumstances. It is about recognizing what matters, adjusting your approach, and refusing to allow disappointment to define your future. Sometimes the greatest opportunities for growth emerge from situations we never would have chosen for ourselves. What initially felt like a door closing has encouraged me to think more intentionally about the doors we can open for others.
I have always believed that community knows what community needs, and that conviction remains at the center of everything we do. We are continuing to publish newspapers, interview community leaders, highlight local businesses, and create opportunities for meaningful conversations. We are also inviting our readers to help protect and strengthen independent Black media by sharing our stories and telling five people about The Chronicle News. Because the true power of a community is not measured by followers on a screen, but by the people willing to show up for one another.
My account may have been disabled, but my voice has not been silenced. I am fighting for accountability, rebuilding our connections, and continuing the work that has defined The Chronicle News for four decades. I hope you’ll stand with us by telling five people, sharing our stories, and helping our community grow stronger. Don’t just make your voice heard. Make your presence known.
TELL FIVE PEOPLE
Help The Chronicle News continue to build its digital community and expand the reach of independent Black journalism.
Follow, share, subscribe, and spread the word: @thechroniclenews86 on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
Listen: www.thesundaychronicle.com
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