NBCUniversal News Group to Commemorate Black History & Culture with Special Cross-Platform Programming

NBCUniversal News Group

Extensive Reporting Across NBC News, NBC News NOW, NBCNews.com, MSNBC, CNBC, Telemundo & NBCU Local

January 31, 2024 — NBCUniversal News Group is commemorating Black history through in-depth reporting on Black heritage, culture and influence that will be presented across NBC NewsNBC News NOWMSNBC, CNBC, NBCNews.com, NBCU Academy, Telemundo & NBCU Local.

NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt and TODAY will highlight groundbreaking figures and institutions in education and in art, including a mother-daughter duo reviving lost and seldom-seen opera pieces by composers of color; Bob Marley’s son discussing a new biopic about his father; an exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art featuring 160 works about The Harlem Renaissance; and the historic Williamsburg Bray School, recognized as the oldest schoolhouse for Black children. 

NBC News NOW will report on Black heritage across all programs, including Stay Tuned NOW with Gadi Schwartz’s “Best of Us” series, which will highlight trailblazers in Black history today across the arts, fashion and more. NBC News NOW is free and accessible across dozens of platforms, including NBCNews.com. NBCBLK, NBCNews.com’s vertical covering Black identity, politics and culture, will spotlight Black history and heritage through the ways Black Americans have become part of the land, from coast to coast. 

MSNBC will air a special titled Black Men in America: The Road To 2024 on Sunday, February 4 at 9 p.m. ET. The program will be hosted by correspondent Trymaine Lee and seasoned civil rights attorney Charles Coleman Jr.The special will highlight the intersection of society, race and culture to provide a candid and intimate look at America through the eyes of an overlooked voting block— Black men. The conversation will travel across the country as Lee and Coleman speak with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, platinum-recording artist Jeezy, rapper Benny the Butcher, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, host of MSNBC’s PoliticsNation Rev. Al Sharpton, co-host of MSNBC’s The Weekend Michael Steele and more. Additionally, on February 15, Trymaine Lee will debut an all-new MSNBC podcast seriesInto America Presents: Uncounted Millions, examining one of today’s most pressing debates: reparations. The series follows the little-known story of one of the only Black people to receive reparations, and the mark it left on his family for generations to come.

CNBC will have TV coverage on the issues affecting the Black community including in leadership, financial literacy, health equity, tech and DEI initiatives and feature interviews with prominent leaders and executives from industries that focus on diversity in business including access to capital, entrepreneurship, and financial education. CNBC Digital will report on job and wage growth trends among Black Americans, homeownership challenges, AI technology bias, and the growing population of Black women entrepreneurs. Additionally, CNBC En Español will profile Afro-Latino leaders and changemakers and CNBC Primetime will showcase Shark Tank episodes featuring Black-owned businesses every Wednesday at 9pm ET.

NBCU Academy will highlight the complicated relationship — and future — between the media and what is often described as “Black Twitter” and the sudden, seasonal demand for Black journalists in February. NBCU Academy will also release a series of Watch and Learn videos covering topics such as the podcasting industry, racial awareness, cultural competency, and digital journalism.

For more information, contact:
Dominique Donahue
NBC News
e: dominique.donahue@nbcuni.com 

Sarah Teicher
NBC News
e: sarah.teicher@nbcuni.com   

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