YouTube Unveils Its First Black Voices Class Of 2021

YouTube overnight announced a first round of winners for its YouTube Black Voices Class of 2021, an initiative to invest in fresh narratives on the video platform “that emphasize the intellectual power, authenticity, dignity, and joy of Black voices.” The 132 creators and artists are from the U.S., U.K., Kenya, Brazil, Australia, South Africa and Nigeria and include musicians, beauty entrepreneurs, comedians, activists, poets, personal trainers, teachers and photographers. All have participated in previous YouTube Black events, were invited to apply and evaluated on channel performance and engagement metrics. YouTube said it will open the application process for the next round of grants to a broader range of candidates over the next few months. Related Story Twitter, Social Media Stocks Tumble After Trump Ban; Move Sparks Debate On Internet Regulation Ideal applicants in music – 21 were chosen this year – were interested in establishing a long-term channel strategy and releasing music by the middle of 2021, YouTube said. The company will offer seed funding for the channel development, partner support, training, workshops and networking program. It plans to partner with more than 500 creators and artists globally through 2023. The seed money comes from the $100 million YouTube Black…
Read More