Netflix is set to donate £3.9m ($5m) to black creators, youth programmes and black-owned businesses amid worldwide Black Lives Matter protests.
On Monday (15 June), Netflix CEO and chairman Reed Hastings announced that the streaming service would be donating an initial sum of £2.3m ($3m) to cultivate black talent, with more donations to follow up to the total of $5m.
Hastings said: “Tackling racism and injustice in meaningful ways means creating long-term opportunities for the black community.
Referencing Ava DuVernay’s award-winning drama about the Central Park Five, he continued: “The main role we play is through our funding of and member viewing of important content like When They See Us.
“As an additional step, today we’re committing $5 million to non-profits dedicated to creating direct opportunities for Black creators, Black youth and Black-owned businesses.”
£1.1m ($1.5m) will be split between creative projects Ghetto Film School, Film Independent’s Project Involve, Firelight Media and Black Public Media, while youth programmes Black Girls Code, the Posse Foundation and Know Your Rights Camp will receive a share of a £789,000 ($1m) donation.
The Know Your Rights Camp was set up by American football star and activist Colin Kaepernick and aims to empower “Black and Brown communities through education, self-empowerment, mass-mobilization and the creation of new systems that elevate the next generation of change leaders.”
Last week, Netflix announced that they had curated a special “Black Lives Matter” collection on their platform, featuring the best films, TV series and stand-up specials from black creators.
The streaming service’s official Twitter account wrote: “When we say, ‘Black Lives Matter’, we also mean, ‘Black storytelling matters’.
“With an understanding that our commitment to true, systemic change will take time – we’re starting by highlighting powerful and complex narratives about the Black experience.”
