What would International Women’s Day be without the celebration of Black women? Just in time for the March 8 holiday, Nike has debuted a short film that honors the impact of Black women on sports and other industries.
The new film, titled We Play Real, narrated by actress and playwright Dominique Fishback, is a minute-long video highlighting the accomplishments of Black female athletes and performers while “celebrating their resilience to lead the world forward,” said Nike in a press release.
For the campaign, NBA athletes will use their Instagram handles to uplift and support Black women who are having outsized impact across sport, society and culture. These women will post their success stories — how their dream came to be, who inspired them, how they made it a reality, and ultimately ask the viewers to help realize their vision for the future.
The film also references instances in which these women have used their platform to promote racial justice, such as the time Naomi Osaka drew attention to the killing of Breonna Taylor by wearing a mask adorned with her name on day one of the U.S Open in September.
In addition to elevating Black women’s voices, Nike recently invested $500,000 in Black Girl Ventures, an organization that provides Black and brown woman-identifying founders with access to community, capital and capacity building to support entrepreneurship. The brand says it will continue to deliver content throughout 2021 that celebrates Black women and demonstrates how all aspects of culture can be more inclusive.