Today Facebook has launched We the Culture, a digital community “rooting for everybody Black” and aiming to amplify the voices of Black creators. Under the curation of Black employees at the company, the goal of the platform is to “empower [Black creators] to build successful, entertaining and sustainable networks across our apps.”
“We the Culture started from a group of passionate Black employees, who wanted to shape the story of how our apps are bringing light and love to the Black experience every day,” said Michelle Mitchell, the program lead at Facebook. “Our starting point isn’t a perfect one, and we know the company hasn’t always gotten it right, but we felt the responsibility — using our culture and identity as northstars — to harness the incredible power of our platform to make a difference in our own communities.”
Following the death of George Floyd, Facebook announced that it would invest $200 million in Black-owned businesses and a portion would be specifically dedicated to Black creators. This $25 million investment into Black creators is the company’s newest initiative to tangibly support the community.
“From day one, we had the autonomy and agency to build a program from scratch that showcases the best of what our platforms can do to elevate the Black experience,” Mitchell added. “We did this authentically and while being unapologetically Black — and you absolutely love to see it. The Creators we’re linking up with are the embodiment of our vision, and each have their own take on how Black culture is shaping everyone’s world.”
The platform will champion Black creatives in music, art, poetry and other creative outlets across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to serve as a launching pad for them to garner more supporters while handing them the reigns to present themselves authentically. It will also feature programming from Facebook Watch, in partnership with production companies, that includes shows headlined by Storm Reid, Vanessa Simmons, Angela Yee, and more.
Check out a trailer for Reid’s new show, Chop it Up, below and follow We the Culture on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.