Celebrating Black History Month Through Inclusive Actions and Content

At Tatari, we recognize the massive role that the TV industry plays in not only celebrating February as Black History Month, but in elevating diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in our society throughout the year. That’s a role our company takes seriously. And while we recognize the long journey ahead of us to achieving the fair and equitable reality we all deserve, we’re committed to doing the work to get there.  

Over the past year, Tatari has taken key steps in its continued focus on DE&I. We formed a DE&I committee in July 2020; this 13-member team meets every month to formulate and push forward plans to increase gender and minority representation both at a departmental level and within our management ranks. Some of the initiatives that the committee implemented thus far include expanding recruiting outreach, pushing for more inclusive language, and continuing our volunteer efforts with under-served communities, just to name a few. 

At the same time, we’re committed to supporting broader efforts to promote racial justice. Last year, Tatari implemented a donation-matching program to support Black Lives Matter and related causes. To date, we’ve contributed donations to the following organizations: 

• ACLU

• Black Lives Matter Global

• Black Trans Advocacy Coalition

• BLM - Los Angeles

• Campaign Zero

• CTUL

• DeDe McClure Memorial Community Fund

• Equal Justice Initiative 

• George Floyd Memorial Fund

• Jaime Harrison

• Justice for Ahmaud Arbery 

• Justice for Breonna Taylor – GoFundMe

• Know Your Rights Camp COVID-19 Relief Fund

• Milwaukee Freedom Fund

• Minnesota Freedom Fund

• Movement Vote Fund

• NAACP

• National Bail Out

• National Black Child Development Institute Inc.

• New Jersey Institute for Social Justice

• Poor People's Campaign

• The Bail Project

• The Trevor Project

• Feeding America

Tatari plans to continue and expand its support for organizations like these throughout 2021 and beyond, and we’ve been gratified to see so many other organizations within our industry doing the same. 

We also recognize the immense importance of increased diversity within the content that provides the foundation for our industry at large. This month, we’ve been blown away by the amazing content lineups that so many publishers are promoting and we applaud these efforts—and efforts throughout the year—to increase representation in media and, specifically, TV. For those looking to celebrate Black History Month along with us, we’d recommend checking out some of the following programming this month:

For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots: A series of two one-hour specials that salute the contributions of African-American men and women in armed conflict throughout our nation’s history, from the American Revolution to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  

Women On The Move (Women Empowerment Network): This inspiring series, which celebrates the achievements of women in a wide variety of industries, in February will feature stories of prominent women of color, including Chrysa Chin, Cocoa Brown and Melody Winston.

What About Me: A first-of-its-kind documentary featuring the voices and perspectives of African-American men beyond the limiting image of only being entertainers, athletes and criminals. We hear from business leaders, attorneys fighting for social and civil rights, actors, those impacted by social justice, and the young men growing up today.

Behind the Movement: Rosa Parks became a hero of the Civil Rights era after refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white male passenger. This new TV movie explores the days after her arrest and the immediate impact of her action.

Your Attention Please (Hulu): Hosted by Craig Robinson, Your Attention Please introduces us to Black makers, thinkers, creators, and doers who are shaping the future of Black history.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Hulu): Learn the history of Henrietta Lacks, an African-American woman who becomes an unwitting pioneer for medical breakthroughs when her cells are used to create the first immortal human cell line in the early 1950s.

Dark Humor (Comedy Central): The nine-part series features Black stand-up comedians discussing their approach to comedy. Each episode will tackle different issues like “the intersection of comedy and politics, Black women in comedy, speaking out on social issues, performing for different audiences, how Black identity is represented within the community, and more.”

The Undefeated Presents: A Room of our Own (ESPN & ABC): Groundbreaking hour of television that explores the relationship Black athletes have to music and its transcending impact in powering social movements in celebration of Black History Month.

February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four (Tubi): The documentary focuses on the four African American college students who made history by staging a sit-in at a North Carolina Woolworth’s to protest segregation on February 1, 1960.

BET and CBS News Present: Boiling Point (BET): This six-part docuseries explores Black America’s longstanding struggle for racial justice and equality through CBS News’ archival content, original interviews and never-before-seen footage of dramatic flashpoints in history – including George Wallace’s Stand in the Schoolhouse Door, Bloody Sunday in Selma, the Attica Prison Uprising, L.A. Riots, Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and the killing of George Floyd.