As we’re now living in an extraordinary time of racial strife, it is super important to make sure our stories are told authentically. Insert the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC), the only non-profit in the country whose sole purpose is to showcase media content of the black experience.

“Quite apart from any political and social activities aimed at addressing issues affecting the Black community in America, there is an urgent need in America for images that help dispel myths and broaden human understanding,” said NBPC Executive Director Leslie Fields-Cruz. “Support from the MacArthur Foundation for NBPC’s efforts to expand the opportunities for producers of color to work in emerging media is further confirmation that diverse perspectives must be part of today and tomorrow’s ever-evolving media landscape.

NBPC is the recipient of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Journalism and Media grant and will use the $750K to form a new initiative called WOKE! Broadening Access to Black Public Media. WOKE! will connect storytellers of color working in nonfiction and emerging media to funding, training, resources, partners and distribution opportunities. One of such programs will be the implementation of a Black Media Summit, featuring filmmakers, distributors, philanthropists and funders to tackle the most pressing issues of the black community and get these stories told most effectively.  

For more information on the National Black Programming Consortium, please visit www.blackpublicmedia.org, as well as follow NBPC on Twitter and Facebook.