Ye Takes First Step in Creating 'Black Future Month' Movement, Sunday's "The Future Brunch," co-hosted by Hollywood Unlocked owner Jason Lee, gathered together a think tank of 50 Black journalists and media executives.
At YE's 'The Future Brunch,' Jason Lee of Hollywood Unlocked and self-made billionaire YE invited 50 black journalists to discuss the disparities in black media, the importance of reclaiming the narrative and taking ownership in one's brand - being 100 percent black owned and more on Sunday, February 6, 2022.
Hesham Abdo (Hesham Abdo)
After renaming Black History Month "Black Future Month" on Instagram on Feb. 1, Kanye "Ye" West presented "The Future Brunch" on Sunday, marking the first step in his mission to turn his statement into a long-term movement rather than a social media trend moment.
“This is the future,” Ye said in his opening remarks to the group, gathered together inside a skylight-lit warehouse in downtown Los Angeles. “There is no looking backward, only forward.”
Following the screening of a short video highlighting his opening remarks, a town hall meeting was held to identify and discuss critical methods to further elevate Black voices and the Black culture narrative. The insightful conversation, moderated by Lee and Michelle Mitchell, strategic communities program manager, media partnerships at Meta, focused on a number of topics and issues, including Black equity and ownership, elevating the culture/eliminating cancel culture, redefining and humanizing Black voices in media and storytelling, and ensuring a brighter future for the next generation and the metaverse.
"Virgil [Abloh] and I both believed in Black design," Ye said, referring to the late Louis Vuitton designer. "Right now, we need to put money into Black media."
"Today's conversation with all of the most powerful Black folks in journalism and Ye," Lee continued, was a moment that will define an unstoppable movement.”
BET executive vp, specials, music programming & strategy Connie Orlando; Fox Soul head of programming James DuBose; Amazon Studios senior creative film executive Amber Rasberry; Spotify creative director, head of urban music Carl Chery; and Vibe staff writer DeMicia Inman were among the invited guests, as were journalists from Billboard, Essence, Ebony, The New York Times, Forbes, and InStyle. Antonio Brown, an NFL wide receiver, arrived midway through the conversation as a surprise visitor.
Following the brunch, the inaugural Sunday Service was held in front of the media. The visitors were also given permission to film the ceremony, which began and ended with a magnificent rendition of Ye's classic "Through the Wire."
"It's not about me; it's about us," Ye added as the breakfast and dinner and town hall wound to a close. “They can’t tell us what to say. We’re too powerful. Let’s put esteem and money back in our communities.
