To celebrate Black History Month in the U.S. and to honor the Black community on its platform, Instagram has launched #ShareBlackStories – bringing new creative tools, themed short films to IGTV, and more.
Instagram wants to help its users express themselves and share diverse perspectives, and there is no better time to do this than Black History Month. With the launch of #ShareBlackStories this February, Instagram will be featuring a range of stories from the Black community – from creators like Tawny Chatmon, Paola “Pao Pao” Mathé and Uzumaki Cepeda – short films featuring “distinct Black voices, produced by Clarence Hammond (Life in a Year) and Dougie Cash (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, Cobra Kai) from Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment, along with Marsha L. Swinton (Beautiful Boy).”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt6gc2MAtAN/
The stories will be appearing on the official @instagram account, and the full films will appear on Instagram’s IGTV channel on February 19.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Btwm6Q5FBRx/
Users can join in to #ShareBlackStories using new creative tools that have been “conceptualized by Black voices at Instagram.” As the announcement explains, these include “camera effects inspired by the rich cultural history of telling stories through African mud cloth patterns” that are available right now, and “touch on themes of family, bravery and good fortune.” If you’d like to use the effects, simply open the Stories camera and tap on the effects icon.
Instagram has also added custom templates designed by community illustrator Loveis Wise, and there is even a new #ShareBlackStories sticker available within the Stories sticker tray that you can try. The camera effects and the #ShareBlackStories sticker are both available on iOS and Android in the United States.
[box]Read next: Snapchat Launches Virtual Art Gallery Lens To Celebrate Black History Month[/box]