Facebook Shares Update on the $200M in Support for the Black Community It Pledged Last Year

Facebook kicked off Black History Month Monday by providing an update on the $200 million in support for the Black community that it pledged last June, as well as detailing several new initiatives and features across its family of applications. Since that commitment, the company has awarded grants to more than 10,000 Black-owned businesses and the U.S., donated $10 million to 36 nonprofit organizations working to address the systemic barriers to race equity—including All Star Code, Management Leadership for Tomorrow and the Shriver Center on Poverty Law—and provided grants and developed partnerships with community foundations across the country to distribute $20 million to at least 400 local nonprofits serving Black communities. Facebook also partnered with the Association for Black Foundation Executives to provide racial equity training for community foundation staff, leadership and trustees. The company has spent over $1.1 billion with diverse-owned businesses in the U.S. during the past four years through its supplier diversity program, and it kicked off its receivables financing program late last year to provide immediate cash for work that diverse suppliers have done during the pandemic that they are owed by other, non-Facebook companies. For Black History Month, Facebook Elevate, the company’s community and learning platform to accelerate the growth of Black, Latinx and Hispanic businesses, will present Generation Black, a slate of inspirational and educational programming and part of a three-year initiative to reach 1 million Black and 1 million Latinx and Hispanic community members with digital skills training, as well as to disburse 100,000 scholarships to Black learners. The company is following up on its #BuyBlack Friday initiative for small and midsized businesses during the holiday shopping season by adding #BuyBlack shopping collections to the Facebook Shop and Instagram Shop tabs and the @shop account on Instagram. Throughout the month, Facebook will spotlight content from the Black community and the diversity of experiences, interests and definitions of “Blackness.” Award-winning director and cinematographer Bradford Young will host docuseries Written By on the Facebook company page to promote conversations about how Black history continues to be written in real-time. The social network also introduced We the Culture, a creative community started by a team of Black Facebook employees and fueled and curated by Black creators dedicated to championing Black culture. Forward: The Future of Black Music, a new original four-episode miniseries showcasing Black excellence in music, will debut on Facebook Watch later this month, with each installment featuring a music icon shining the light on a newcomer they believe to be the future. The series will also be available via Watch Together, which enables people to watch IGTV, movies, Reels, television shows and trending videos in real-time during video chats via Messenger From Facebook, Messenger Rooms and the new Messenger experience on Instagram. The Lift Black Voices section on the flagship app will honor and celebrate the past, present and future of Black communities, with content refreshed throughout the month and including themes such as Black creatives and the new vanguard, Black history throughout the diaspora and Black love. Also on the Facebook app, the new Black Makes a Way area will spotlight the diversity within the Black experience. The social network teamed up with Theresa Tha Songbird to create a visual cypher of her poem, “You So Black,” and the section will showcase members of Facebook groups who are lending their voice to further equity, inclusivity and excellence throughout the community. Instagram will feature multichannel call to action #ShareBlackStories, celebrating Black innovation. New creative tools for Instagram Camera and Stories will be published throughout February on @creators, @design, @instagram, @instagramforbusiness and @shop, and Instagram will host workshops and other virtual community-focused moments for Black creators. And last December, Facebook Gaming kicked off the Black Gaming Creator Program, committing $10 million over two years to support the Black gaming community and provide funding and resources to the next generation of Black gaming creators. Facebook wrote in a Newsroom post Monday, “Black history is not just a month. It is written every day. Black creators and community leaders are making their mark on the world and using our apps to share their stories—from pushing culture forward on Instagram to turning Facebook movements into lasting legacies.” The social network added, “As the world navigates a historic health pandemic, a growing economic crisis and a racial justice awakening, it’s more important than ever that we support Black businesses, employees and communities. We don’t see this work as tied to any one month and any given year. Counteracting historical and present-day inequities is something Facebook has and will continue to be committed to for years.”

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Facebook Shares Update on the $200M in Support for the Black Community It Pledged Last Year

The social network also kicked off several Black History Month initiatives across its family of apps

David Cohen

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David Cohen