NBCUniversal News Group Honors Black History and Culture with In-Depth Coverage Across All Platforms

February 01, 2023

NEW YORK (February 1, 2023) – NBCUniversal News Group is honoring Black history with in-depth reporting to highlight Black heritage and culture for the month of February and beyond. Coverage will be featured across all platforms to commemorate Black history, culture and influence on NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC and Peacock. 

Anchors, reporters and correspondents will appear across the News Group to deliver unique storytelling and insight, including: Lester Holt, Priscilla Thompson, Al Roker, Craig Melvin, Jill Martin, Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Willie Geist, Rev. Al Sharpton, Trymaine Lee, Ali Velshi, Ayman Mohyeldin, Jonathan Capehart, Symone Sanders, Antonia Hylton and more.

NIGHTLY NEWS TO SHOWCASE BLACK CULTURE THROUGH STORIES ON EDUCATION, WESTERN CULTURE AND MORE

• Nightly News with Lester Holt will cover the story of four teachers in Philadelphia that have come together to teach core classes to their students. Three quarters of the student body are Black, male students and they have seen more student engagement since they teamed up.
• Additionally, Ben Finley and Art Clay created the National Brotherhood of Skiers – bringing together dozens of predominantly Black ski clubs across the country. More than 50 years later, the brotherhood group includes 5,000 Black skiers and snowboarders “who descend annually on a single mountain to celebrate their growing presence in the ski and snowboarding industry.” They’ll ride together in Vail, Colorado February 4th.
• Each year hundreds of Black cowboys and cowgirls of all ages embark on a more than 90 mile trail ride to the Houston Rodeo. It’s the oldest African American trail ride in the country. Priscilla Thompson will explore the history of this ride in Texas and Black western culture becoming more visible in recent years. 

NBC NEWS DIGITAL TO FEATURE MULTIPLE SERIES FOCUSING ON BLACK CULTURE, RACIAL HEALING AND MORE

• NBC BLK, NBC News’ vertical covering Black identity, politics and culture, will focus on formal and informal efforts to learn about Black history, with the goal of creating a better future.
  • ‘A Night Steeped in History’ by NBC BLK reporter Curtis Bunn: Curtis Bunn, along with about 22 Black and white travelers — spent the night on a former plantation, living in what was once the quarters of an enslaved African person back in October. What followed was a candid fireside conversation between the attendees about all that is needed to create a more equitable future for Black people in America.
  • ‘How the metaverse is the new history book for Black experiences’ by NBCU Academy Embed Claretta Bellamy: Morehouse College became the first HBCU to teach classes in the metaverse in spring 2021, but barely two years later, it is not alone. Teachers across the country are using the metaverse to help students engage in immersive learning about the history of Black America.
  • ‘The rise of Black homeschools and learning co-ops’ by NBC BLK reporter Char Adams: Black families across the country have assembled formal and informal learning pods to collaborate and homeschool their kids together. These homeschool co-ops have shot up in response to a range of factors in schools, most notably gun violence, over-surveillance of Black children, racism, and the scaling back of diverse and inclusive education. In some cases, families see this move as an unfortunately necessary act, while others see their move to educate their own children as a way to secure their children’s esteem and safety, while also boosting the future of Black-centric education in America.
• Stay Tuned, NBC News’ Gen Z news program, to launch “Hidden Histories” series on YouTube, produced by the NBC News Digital Docs team.
  • The History of the Black Cowgirl: There’s a deeply rich history of Black cowboys and cowgirls in the U.S., but mainstream Western movies and series painted a different image. Thirty-year-old author Caitlin Gooch has committed her life to educating people about Black Americans' contribution to horse culture and teaching Black children to reclaim that history and skill.
  • Restoring Allensworth: In the early 1900s, Allensworth, California was a shining example of Black prosperity — before a series of policies led to its decline. Now, believers and advocates are taking on the mission of restoring it to its original vision.
  • “Colored” School #4: Historians in New York are trying to landmark the last known “colored” school in Manhattan. The school was built in the 1850s, originally for white students; but by the 1860s had become a school for Black boys and girls. During the 1863 draft riots, teachers were forced to barricade the doors to protect the students from a White mob outside.
• NBC News NOW to air Changing the Narrative series on racial healing.
  • NBC News NOW will run three episodes of Changing the Narrative, a series in partnership with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF). NBC News journalists are spending a week embedded in neighborhoods where work is being done towards racial healing. Claretta Bellamy reports from Buffalo and Selma, and Maya Eaglin reports from New Orleans. Episodes will air weekly beginning on Wednesday, February 1. This follows a year-long partnership with WKKF, which included two town halls that was broadcast last month on the National Day of Racial Healing – airing on MSNBC and on Noticias Telemundo in Spanish.

TODAY TO FEATURE INTERVIEWS WITH TRAILBLAZERS AND EVERYDAY HEROES WHO HAVE BROKEN BARRIERS

• TODAY will highlight Dawanna Witt, the first Black person and woman elected as Hennepin County Sheriff in November 2022. She will share her journey to her historic role, facing challenges like becoming a mom at fifteen, finishing school and going on to her career in law enforcement. She will talk about what her position means for the area, how she can be a part of healing community and police relationships and her plans for what she will bring to law enforcement.
• Al Roker will sit with Megan Piphus Peace, the first Black female puppeteer on Sesame Street.
• Craig Melvin will sit down with the legendary Grand Master Flash, as part of our coverage celebrating 50 years of Hip Hop. He will visit a new exhibit honoring Hip Hop and share the plan for the Hip Hop museum being built.
• Craig Melvin will also sit down with Charlie Melvin, the executive chef at Clover Hill in Brooklyn who received his first Michelin star making him the first Black Michelin starred chef in New York City. 
• The 3rd Hour of TODAY will give special shoutouts to local trailblazers or community leaders who others have nominated for exemplifying Black excellence.
• Jill Martin will sit down with Autumn Adeigbo for the series “She Made It,” highlighting the Black designer’s devotion to positively impacting women’s lives.
• TODAY with Hoda & Jenna will profile HBCU bands ahead of the 2023 HBCU Battle of The Bands. 

MSNBC TO SPOTLIGHT PROMINENT FIGURES AND NEWSMAKERS WHO CONTINUE TO MAKE HISTORY 

• Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Willie Geist and guests will highlight history makers and prominent figures who helped shape the American story.
• On PoliticsNation, Rev. Al Sharpton will showcase a series of segments highlighting African Americans who made history and celebrate the achievements of those who have made a positive impact in their area.
• Into America, MSNBC’s podcast which explores what it means to be Black in America through stories about holding truth to power and the country to its promises, will examine the collision of politics, power, and the rise of Hip Hop in a four-part podcast series. In anticipation of the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop later this year, host Trymaine Lee travels back through policies that have shaped half a century of an American artform, and how over time, Hip Hop began to shape America.
• On Saturday Feb. 4, host Ali Velshi will celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Velshi Banned Book Club with a special segment featuring award-winning investigative reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones, whose 1619 Project inspired the Book Club’s creation. Hannah-Jones, the inaugural guest of the Velshi Banned Book Club in 2022, will return to VELSHI to reflect on the past year.
• On AYMAN, Ayman Mohyeldin will host a roundtable with Black Attorneys General from around the U.S., including Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, and more. The discussion will focus on the Attorneys General historic elections, their efforts to reform their states’ criminal justice systems, and the importance of having representation in top law enforcement positions.
• On The Sunday Show, host Jonathan Capehart will sit down with Martin Luther King III, Arndrea King, and their daughter Yolanda King in Atlanta, GA. The King family will join Capehart for a wide ranging interview to discuss voting rights, the state of civil rights, as well as the King legacy and what that means today.
• From Jan. 28 through the end of February, SYMONE will celebrate the pioneers in our community who made and are making history including Dana Canedy, Cynthia Marshall, Robert Smith, Dr. Mae Jemison, Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Bryan Stevenson and Nikole Hannah-Jones.
• Antonia Hylton will take a look at a crumbling elementary school in Memphis and the so-called “Black Tax” - racial biases that, according to financial researchers, leave Black schools saddled with millions in backlogged repairs.

CNBC TO REPORT ON BLACK LEADERS AND BUSINESSES, DIVERSITY IN VARIOUS INDUSTRIES AND MORE

• CNBC Dayside will interview notable leaders, business owners, changemakers and CEOs across a multitude of industries who focus on diversity in business including access to capital, board representation, entrepreneurship and education.
• CNBC Dayside will also report on issues affecting the Black community including board member diversity across various industries, diversity and compensation in the financial sector, representation in the tech sector, Hollywood’s lack of progress on diversity, higher education for students of color and an in-depth look at The Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership that aims to educate and connect wealth builders and entrepreneurs through its Making of Black Angels initiative.
• CNBC talent, contributors and CEOs will be featured in video vignettes for NBCU’s “Discover Black Heritage” campaign that will air on the network. 
• CNBC.com will offer a variety of stories from the economy to entertainment. The team will have pieces dedicated to the February jobs report and what it means for Black unemployment as well as the broader economy, how crypto is being used within minority communities more transactionally, and the efforts being made to address the rise of unbanked people, which particularly affects Black communities. The site will also feature a profile of Wonya Lucas, first Black female CEO of Crown Media’s Hallmark Channel, and speak to Black-led unicorn startups and venture capital firms to understand what’s behind the slowdown of VC funding to Black founders in 2022, what obstacles Black founders face and what’s expected in the year ahead. CNBC’s Personal Finance team will have a number of pieces including the new approach a NYC school is taking to close the Covid learning gap, why the student debt crisis has hit people of color especially hard, the increased demand for showing Black artists in New York galleries, and how officials are seeking to create programs that limit the eligibility for dispensary licenses to help Black communities that have been disproportionately affected by marijuana criminalization.
• CNBC Make It will profile a number of Black leaders and businesses including Sandra Douglass Morgan, the NFL's first Black female president; Amira Rasool, Founder and CEO of The Folklore Group, who raised millions in the VC community; and startup company Actively Black, a premium athleisure and sports apparel brand. The site will also publish stories about three health conditions affecting Black communities the most and the preventative measures to practice and why Black therapists partner with churches for mental health awareness. Additionally, CNBC Make It’s popular video series Millennial Money will follow Black millennials based in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and Long Beach, California, to see how they earn, save and spend their money and highlight a Black female NYC subway conductor making $86K a year for the On The Job video series. The site will also feature video profiles on a woman who makes $850K a year from her cash-stuffing business in Texas and a woman who built a tiny home in her Atlanta backyard that she rents out long-term to low-income tenants.
• CNBC Digital’s video team will feature interviews with McKinsey and Company’s Shelley Stewart on racial equity at work; Duke University Professor William Darity Jr. and his wife/co-author Kirsten Mullen on their book, From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the 21st Century; and AFL-CIO Chief Economist and Howard University Professor Bill Spriggs on how racial bias impacts economic data. The video interviews will be coupled with articles on CNBC.com with shorter clips being made available as part of the Changing the Narrative initiative.
• Every Wednesday at 9pm ET for the entire month of February, CNBC Primetime will air episodes of Shark Tank featuring first Black female guest shark Emma Grede.

NBCU ACADEMY TO PUBLISH ARTICLES AND VIDEOS FOCUSING ON BLACK HERITAGE 

• On Feb. 1, the article “Understanding Black Heritage” will be posted under NBCU Academy’s digital series that launched last fall, “Understanding,” which breaks down the history, context and nuances behind cultural observances and days of remembrance throughout the year. The new article takes a look at the history of why we celebrate Black heritage and answers why it’s recognized during February – the shortest month of the year. 
• NBCU Academy will publish articles to their “Equity Lab,” a section dedicated to the intersection of journalism and diversity, equity and inclusion.
  • “Do Black Women Broadcasters Really Feel Free to Wear Their Natural Hair?”: Britany Noble, a Mississippi journalist who was fired after wearing her natural hair in 2018, talks to a number of Black female broadcasters, such as Eboni K. Williams and Sheinelle Jones, about just how far the industry has come with accepting locs and braids on air.
  • “How to talk about violence when it’s perpetuated by someone in the community”: In light of the recent mass shootings in Asian American communities and the police beating of Tyre Nichols, “Equity Lab” will publish a conversation between reporters from NBC’s identity verticals (Asian America, BLK, Latino and Out) about how to cover violence when the suspect is part of the community.
  • “Equity Lab” will also run a Q&A with the editors in chief of “The Emancipator,” a digital magazine, inspired by anti-slavery newspapers, that examines how to dismantle racist policies and norms.
• Plus, the piece “Enterprise Reporting,” will post under Pro Tips on NBCU Academy’s website and will focus on the process of enterprise reporting, following NBC BLK reporter Char Adams, as she shares best practices for putting together an original story on Black parents choosing to homeschool.

PEACOCK TO STREAM DOCUMENTARIES, TELEVISION SERIES, FILMS AND PEACOCK ORIGINALS COMMEMORATING BLACK HISTORY

• Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power, a new original documentary will premiere on Peacock on Feb. 2. Told through first-person testimony and archival footage, the film chronicles a group of courageous, young Black activists who put their lives on the line not just to secure the right to vote, but for Black Power in Lowndes County, AL. 
• Peacock Original documentary The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks will re-air on MSNBC on Feb. 4 at 10 p.m. ET, in honor of the 110th anniversary of her birth. The documentary tells the unexpected story of Rosa Parks’ radical politics and dedication to activism told through interviews, powerful archival footage and her own words.
• Throughout the month of February, Peacock will offer a wide range of other documentaries, television series, films and Peacock Originals commemorating Black History, including a new season of Bel-Air premiering Feb. 23; The Best Man: The Final Chapters; Nope; Ray; Mandela – A Long Walk to Freedom; Lee Daniels’ The Butler; Black Boys; If Beale Street Could Talk; The Bernie Mac Show and more.

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