Instagram's #ShareBlackStories Campaign Is The Perfect Ode To Black History Month
Are you looking for a way to engage in Black History Month? Look no further than your favorite photo-sharing app! Instagram's new Black History Month 2019 feature includes Black art and other creations, as well as cool stickers and camera effects that make it easy to involved in the celebration and show your love and support for black culture. Get ready to say, "Cheese!"
The feature, called #ShareBlackStories, was announced an Instagram blog post on Feb. 12 and will apparently last through the remainder of February. Elite Daily reached out to Instagram for further comment on how long the feature will last, but did not hear back by the time of publication.
"You can #ShareBlackStories by using new creative tools, conceptualized by Black voices at Instagram, including camera effects inspired by the rich cultural history of telling stories through African mud cloth patterns," the blog post from the company explained. "Available now, these effects touch on themes of family, bravery and good fortune." BRB, sharing a post on Eartha Kitt.
Instagram shared in the post that #ShareBlackStories was created to "honor the Black community on Instagram and celebrate Black History Month in the U.S." The Mud Cloth filter is found by using the Camera in Stories. To open it up, tap on the little smiley face on the far right at the bottom of the screen to get to camera effects. Then, scroll the effects to get to Mud Cloth, where four Mud Cloth effects are available: Good Fortune, Community, Luxury, and Bravery.
Instagram will also be using its own account to showcase creations by artists like Tawny Chatmon and Paola “Pao Pao” Mathé. And beginning on Feb. 19, the app will be rolling out full films on its IGTV channel that are produced by Dougie Cash (producer of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, the 2018 Netflix film that brought us the light that is Noah Centineo), Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment, and others. You can see a sneak peak of the films here and stay updated by following the #ShareBlackStories hashtag, which shows quotes from popular Black activists such as Maya Angelou and Rosa Parks, photos of people like Beyoncé, Cardi B, and Michelle Obama (because can you ever really get enough of those three?), art sketches, paintings... I mean, there's just so much goodness.
Instagram is just one of many outlets that have rolled out features for Black History Month, though. Snapchat, for example, rolled out a virtual art gallery that features creations by Black millennial artists. According to Mashable, the project was put together by SnapNoir, which is a black employee group within the company, and is available for your viewing pleasure until Feb. 28.
Or, if you'd rather see Black art in person, Lyft will be giving free rides to “Black history museums, memorials and relevant cultural sites, as well as to Black-owned businesses” for the remainder of the month, according to the company.
"We believe in recognizing, celebrating, and supporting the contributions of incredible Black women and men throughout history and within our communities today. That is why during the month of February, we’ll be providing one free ride up to $10 [to travel to those landmarks]," the company said via statement. To see the eligible spots, head over to Lyft's website.
There are just so many ways to get engaged in the celebrations. No matter what you choose to do, these options sound like great experiences that will keep you both entertained and informed AF, and it really doesn't get much more magical than that.
