The Obamas To Host YouTube’s Black History Month Special, ‘Black Renaissance’

YouTube’s next live original, Black Renaissance, will mark Black History Month with a celebration hosted by creators and public figures including Barack and Michelle Obama.

The special, airing Feb. 26, will “showcase the Black creators, artists, writers, storytellers, and history makers who have shaped our nation’s history; and the next generation of Black voices who are reimagining our future,” YouTube says. It will cover numerous topics, from dance and music to fashion, photography, literature, Afrofuturism, Black women artists, and LGBTQ+ artists.

Hosts joining the Obamas include National Book Award finalist Jason Reynolds, rapper Killer Mike, comedians/creators Desus Nice and The Kid Mero, journalist Jemele Hill, and artist Shantell Martin. Black Renaissance will also feature a live performance from rapper Tobe Nwigwe and vignettes from young filmmakers Raafi Rivero and Naomi Merlan.

More hosts and guests will be announced “soon,” YouTube says.

“People come to YouTube as a place to learn and connect. This Black History Month we wanted to continue meeting this challenge which I believe has never been more important,” Nadine Zylstra, YouTube Original’s head of learning, impact, kids, and families, said in a statement. “By choosing art as the lens to further explore Black history, we hope to inspire our audience to continue embracing Black culture in all its various forms.”

Black Renaissance is the latest original to be produced using the $100 million Black Voices Fund YouTube launched in June 2020. Production partners for the special include Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Howard University Graduate Film Program, and NAL Media; executive producers are Jason Reynolds, Leah Harper Lane, and Guy Carrington; and co-exec producers are Kristen Wong, Dave Schilling, and Clover Hope.

YouTube also revealed that a new episode of BookTube (based on Michelle Obama’s 2019 YouTube original) will launch Feb. 25. It will star Alicia Garza, cofounder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network and principal at Black Futures Lab, talking about her new book, The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart.