Netflix has pledged to donate $5 million to various Black creators and organizations. The Black Lives Matter movement has seen a massive resurgence in recent weeks after protests that were sparked by the police killing of George Floyd. While the protests were mainly driven by the fight to end police brutality, a greater conversation has sprung up about systemic racism and the inequalities faced by the Black community. This conversation has even moved to the entertainment industry as people grow more critical about onscreen and off-screen representation. Changes have already been seen in various areas, like HBO Max's decision to temporarily remove Gone with the Wind and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences adjusting their future practices to ensure greater diversity among their ranks.
Netflix has gotten involved with this conversation in several ways. On one hand, the streaming service saw The Help move to the top of its most popular list following the protests, which sparked some backlash because many don't view The Help as a good story for Black characters. Netflix sought to make up for this soon after by creating its own Black Lives Matter collection, which puts the spotlight on films and television shows from Black creators and performers. The projects at the forefront of this include Ava DuVernay's documentary 13th, her miniseries When They See Us, and Spike Lee's latest film Da 5 Bloods.
Now Netflix is continuing its initiative to promote Black creators with this new donation plan. According to Variety, Netflix will donate $5 million to various creators and organizations. For the creators, the service is giving $1.5 million to Ghetto Film School, Film Independent's Project Involve, Firelight Media, and Black Public Media. Additionally, Netflix will give $1 million grants to the following organizations: Know Your Rights Camp, the Posse Foundation, and Black Girls Code. Finally, the company will give $500,000 to Black-owned businesses in Los Angeles. Netflix chairman and CEO Reed Hastings said this in a statement:
Tackling racism and injustice in meaningful ways means creating long-term opportunities for the Black community. 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 nonprofits dedicated to creating direct opportunities for Black creators, Black youth and Black-owned businesses.
Netflix joins other studios and production companies that have donated large sums of money in recent days, including J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot. This move will likely be seen as a positive one by many, though at the same time, it'll be important to see if Netflix continues to promote projects created by Black directors, writers, and actors. The Black Lives Matter collection is definitely another good step forward, as several praised Netflix for its creation in the days following, including DuVernay.
The recent weeks have indicated a major shift in not just the entertainment industry, but in the world at large. Many have spoken out in recent weeks about the importance in listening to Black voices, such as Michael B. Jordan, who gave a rousing speech at a protest just two weekends ago. Audiences will know there has been real change when there is more equality both onscreen and off, but so far, Netflix has certainly indicated they are interested in making the right moves.
Source: Variety