YouTube is doing their part in Black History Month this year by raising up its black creators. On February 1st, YouTube began using “BHM” as its logo, an abbreviation for Black History Month.
Featuring artists
The first logo and artwork were created by Brazilian artist Leandro Assis. He explained his inspiration behind his designs were the black people around him. He touched upon the importance of their hair, the way they dance and the beauty of their different skin tones. Black History Month, he says, “is an important time to reinforce reflection on issues involving the black community.”
Assis is the first of a handful of creators to have their work featured on the YouTube channel. The logo and artwork are subject to change every week this month. YouTube is interviewing Black guest artists who will tell what Black creativity means to them. Youtube selected “112 unique voices” to be a part of the Creator Class of 2021.
Discover black creators
On the YouTube channel, there is a multitude of channels run by black creators. There are six different categories: Gaming, Tech, & Sports, Fashion, Beauty, & Fitness, Pop Culture & Comedy, Social Commentary, Lifestyle & Family and Artists. They offer an array of different topics for users to explore Black creators and culture.
The #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund is an initiative “that emphasizes the intellectual power, authenticity, dignity and joy of Black voices.” They partnered with the YouTube team this year. The Creator Class of 2021 is the first to receive grants from this initiative. The hashtag #YouTubeBlack is also being used across the platform to boost black creators. On the hashtags landing page, there are over 10 thousand videos and more than a thousand channels linked to Black voices.
The YouTube team explains in a blog post “During Black History Month, we will celebrate Black stories, voices and culture that have contributed to creativity and innovation on YouTube and throughout the world.”