"There's no more Black History Month": Kanye West leads Black town hall Facebook livestream

Rich Fury/VF20/Getty Images for Vanity Fair

Last month, Kanye West organized the "Controlling Our Narrative: The Future Brunch" discussion that brought together Black journalists and media executives. West's aim was to provide a space to discuss vital ways to further amplify Black voices and Black culture. Now, that discussion is available to watch on Facebook.

Facebook livestreamed the conversation on Tuesday, which opened with a monologue from West, who encouraged the audience to "start by declaring Black Future Month."

"There is no more Black History Month," Ye said. "I've been waiting for us to take the power into our hands… we start by declaring Black Future Month…this is our narrative."

Hosted by Jason Lee of Hollywood Unlocked, the event's purpose was to shed light on brand ownership, disparities in Black media and the importance of the Black community controlling its narrative. Throughout the conversation, media professionals from outlet's like VIBE and Where Is the Buzz TV spoke their piece on what Black Future Month means to them and how the community as a whole can contribute to seeing it to fruition.

"A lot of times, Black excellence becomes a trauma response," one woman said. She explained her desire for Black people to be humanized on a daily basis. "Treat Black people like they're human and that's going to be Black future right there."

The event served as a pivotal space for discussion on varied topics, like Blacks in tech, accountability, red carpet discrimination and more.

The hour-long livestream can be viewed on Kanye West's Facebook page.

Tuesday, March 1, 2022 at 2:55PM by Jamia Pugh Permalink