Apple stands up for Black History Month across all channels
“None of us can use injustice’s long history as an excuse not to act,” said Tim Cook.
Apple is once again putting its weight behind Black History Month with a range of initiatives, content, digital experiences across its portals and a new ‘Unity’ face for Apple Watch, and a watch strap.
Black History Month
W.E.B. Du Bois got it right when he said: “The cost of liberty is less than the price of repression.” And, as the first African American Supreme Court judge, Thurgood Marshall puts it, “In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.”
The first Black History Week took place in the US in 1926, promoted by the acclaimed ‘Father of Black History’, Carter G Woodson. Since 1976, US presidents have officially declared February to be Black History Month in the US.
The idea is that the event helps mark the many contributions and achievements made by people with African or Caribbean heritage – but it’s also a really good time to break down racism and challenge prejudice and stereotypes.
Knowledge is, after all, power.
As Desmond Tutu, the great fighter against apartheid no matter in which nation once said: “My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.”
“If this pandemic has taught us anything, I hope it’s that none of us can use injustice’s long history as an excuse not to act,” said Apple CEO, Tim Cook in March 2021. Apple has pledged to be a force of change against systemic racism.
Most US corporations today try to mark Black History Month, and while that’s a struggle that won’t end until prejudice disappears, this is what Apple has planned for this year’s month.
Apple’s press release follows:
Apple Music
Apple Music is launching a campaign around the theme Music is Healing. Special episodes of “The Message” on Apple Music 1 will feature in-depth conversations between Ebro Darden, Apple Music’s head of Hip-Hop and R&B editorial, and guests. Shows will contextualize contemporary issues around Black health and wellness, and highlight the historical perspective, achievements, and contributions that Black people have made to culture. Music programming on the Apple Music Browse, Genre, and Radio pages will highlight various interpretations around the themes of Movement, Black Love, Celebration, and Peace. Apple Music TV will also have full-day takeovers of music videos inspired by the campaign.
Apple Fitness+
To support users on their health and well-being journey, Fitness+ will feature new workouts that pay tribute to Black History Month, including playlists dedicated to celebrating Black artists, as well as two new meditations led by Fitness+ trainers Christian Howard and JoAnna Hardy, focused on the themes of gratitude and awareness. Throughout the month, users will also have the opportunity to participate in the Unity Challenge and earn a limited-edition award, by closing their Move ring seven days in a row. The inclusive Fitness+ trainer team will also be wearing the new Apple Watch Unity band to celebrate Black History Month.
On February 7, Fitness+ will also release a new episode of Time to Walk, an inspiring audio experience on Apple Watch, featuring activist Ayọ Tometi, one of the founders of the Black Lives Matter movement. On this walk, she talks about how the murder of Trayvon Martin deepened her commitment to activism, and why changing her name altered her outlook on life. That same day, Time to Run, an audio running experience designed to help users become more consistent and better runners, will introduce a new episode featuring Fitness+ trainer Cory Wharton-Malcolm, as he coaches runners through Atlanta, Georgia, with notable sights such as the Birth Home of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.
Apple Podcasts
On Apple Podcasts, listeners can browse a vast catalog of shows from Black creators and about Black history, health, well-being, and culture. Apple Podcasts has also invited seven revelatory, would-be history-makers in podcasting to share their critically acclaimed work alongside episodes that inspire them. Listeners in the US can explore curated collections from bestselling author, professor, and social commentator Roxane Gay; food writer, entrepreneur, and founder of Whetstone Magazine Stephen Satterfield; former basketball player and sports TV personality Jay Williams; artist and poet Morgan Harper Nichols; founder of the Well-Read Black Girl reading network Glory Edim; and the founders of the financial literacy and lifestyle brand Earn Your Leisure, Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings.
Apple Watch
Apple is launching a special edition Apple Watch Black Unity Braided Solo Loop and matching Unity Lights watch face inspired by Afrofuturism, a philosophy that explores the Black experience through a narrative of science, technology, and self-empowerment. As part of this launch, Apple is supporting organizations focused on advancing inclusion in science and technology for communities of color through its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative.
Designed by members and allies of the Black creative community at Apple to celebrate Black history and culture, the Apple Watch Black Unity Braided Solo Loop and matching Unity Lights watch face honors generations of Black people across the African diaspora. This design symbolizes a communal belief in the necessity for a more equitable world. The vibrant red and green colors of the Pan-African flag appear like speckled light across the black band.
The band is complemented by the Unity Lights watch face, which is designed using 2D ray tracing, a technology never before implemented for a watch face. Each pixel on the screen simulates the light and shadow falling across it and the movement of the clock hands simultaneously reveal and hide the light, changing dynamically throughout the day. The Unity Lights watch face can be customized to be a full screen or circular dial, and includes a black and white option, tick marks, up to four complications, and a monogram. iPhone, iPad, and Mac users can also show their support for Black History Month by downloading Afrofuturism-inspired wallpapers available at apple.com.
App Store
The App Store is spotlighting a full range of apps that are enabling Black health and wellness in all areas of life, from financial to physical and mental well-being. Apple’s global editorial team will feature inspiring stories on apps, developers, and influential voices empowering safe environments for Black communities. Among those individuals and apps are Black-owned apps like Irth that provide maternal health resources to Black women; outdoor and nature apps like AllTrails, Merlin Bird ID, and Nike Run Club, that are enabling solidarity among members of the Black community through fitness, nature, and collective self care; three bold content creators who are using Clubhouse, the social audio app, to level the playing field and raise one another up; and games like “Insecure: The Come Up Game” — inspired by the widely celebrated HBO series “Insecure.”
Apple Books
Apple Books is focusing on Black health and wellness by highlighting authors — like Harriet A. Washington and Alex Elle — who tackle these multidimensional themes. With collections that explore their work, and other features recommending works by Black writers across a variety of genres, Apple Books will offer readers and listeners diverse perspectives on the richness of Black expression and experience.
Apple Maps
Apple Maps users can learn about Black history or discover Black-owned businesses through curated Guides. For users interested in expanding their knowledge of Black history, Discover Atlanta features Famous Auburn Avenue Black History Sites, National Park Foundation highlights National Parks that Honor Black History, The Philadelphia Inquirer gives users a way to Discover Philly’s anti-slavery sites, and Tinybeans outlines spots to learn about Black history throughout Los Angeles, New York City, San Diego, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. Maps also helps users support Black-owned businesses with Guides from Complex celebrating Black-Owned Streetwear & Sneaker Stores; EatOkra, featuring food guides from Carla Hall, KJ Kearney, and Pierre Thiam; and The Infatuation highlighting Black-owned restaurants in cities like Chicago, Miami, and Philadelphia.
Apple TV App
The Apple TV app will feature guest-curated collections by prominent Black creators and stars — including Tiffany Haddish, Mekhi Phifer, Natasha Rothwell, Sam Richardson, and more — who’ve shared what they watch to unwind. Viewers can also explore a spectrum of mood-based collections ranging from rest and romance to deep contemplation, as well as collections centered on wellness, spirituality, and faith.
Apple News
Throughout the month of February, Apple News readers and listeners are invited to dive deep into the important work of today’s top Black journalists. Audiences can explore expert reporting and analysis on the Black experience through curated collections, audio stories, and episodes of Apple News Today, a daily audio briefing from Apple News available each weekday morning.
Shot on iPhone
Apple’s latest Shot on iPhone campaign, “Our Stories,” features portraits and video of four pioneers who are at the nexus of Black history — from an athlete, to a costume designer, a music executive, and a Michelin-starred chef. Each individual shares stories about their inspiration, life’s work, and philosophy. Above you can see last year’s Shot on iPhone in which 32 of the country’s most visionary Black photographers showed us their hometown.
Please follow me on Twitter, or join me in the AppleHolic’s bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe.
