Apple commemorates Black History Month with exclusive content and curated launches celebrating Black culture and community. Customers can show their support with this year’s Black Unity Collection, which includes a special-edition Apple Watch Black Unity Sport Loop, alongside a new matching watch face and iPhone wallpaper. Beginning in February, all-new activations — including a series of Apple Maps Guides created by the Smithsonian, TV and film collections curated by Dr. Jelani Cobb, and more will be available to explore. Additionally, through its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (REJI), Apple is expanding its support of five organizations focused on uplifting Black and Brown communities by unlocking creative potential through technology.
Apple Watch and iPhone
Members of Apple’s Black creative community and allies came together to develop this year’s Black Unity Collection and designed the new expressions inspired by the creative process of mosaic, celebrating the vibrancy of Black communities and the power of unity.
The Black Unity Sport Loop features the word “Unity” woven abstractly into the band using red, green and black yarns that pay homage to the Pan-African flag, while a unique layering of yarns lends a sense of three-dimensionality to the letters. Additionally, the Unity Mosaic watch face incorporates geometric shapes in green, black, red and yellow, and as the minutes change, each number uses pieces of other numbers to morph into new forms. iPhone users can also show their support with the new Unity wallpaper for their lockscreens.
Apple is supporting the Art Gallery of New South Wales (Sydney), Ghetto Film School (New York, Los Angeles, London), Music Forward (Los Angeles), Shout Mouse Press (Washington, D.C.) and The National Museum of African American Music (Nashville, Tennessee). Apple’s support for these organizations is a continuation of REJI grants over the past two years that helped organizations committed to providing economic, educational and creative opportunities in communities of color.
App Store
The App Store will spotlight apps and games forging creative solutions for Black communities in areas such as music, banking and gaming. Among these apps and games are Dot’s Home, a 2022 App Store Award-winning game designed to educate users on housing disparities experienced in communities of color and financial wellness apps such as Goalsetter, Altro and CapWay that empower the community with financial resources. The App Store will also celebrate 50 years of hip-hop culture by spotlighting numerous apps that allow users to listen, watch and learn the significance of this creative movement in both the past and present.
Apple Music
Apple Music will underscore the innumerable ways that Black artists have contributed to music and culture through healing, improvisation, reinvention and so much more across all genres. The For Us, By Us playlist will be updated to capture expressions of resilience and resistance, and users can also enjoy new episodes of “The Message” and additional radio programming on Apple Music 1, Country and HITS.
Apple TV App
Viewers can visit the Apple TV app to explore series and films curated by Dr. Jelani Cobb, dean of the Columbia University School of Journalism and a staff writer at The New Yorker. The theme of this year’s collections is “The Matter of Black Lives,” focusing on stories that illustrate three specific pillars: “Freedom in Black,” “Love in Spite Of” and “The Mosaic.”
Apple Fitness+
Apple Fitness+ will share new workouts featuring playlists celebrating Black artists, as well as a new meditation dedicated to Black History Month led by Fitness+ trainer JoAnna Hardy. On January 30, Fitness+ will release a new episode of Time to Walk — an audio experience with some of the world’s most inspiring people — featuring legendary singer Patti LaBelle. On this walk, LaBelle talks about her famous cooking and the powerful role her late sister played in her life. That same day, Time to Run, an audio running experience featuring playlists and coaching designed to help users become more consistent and better runners, will introduce a new episode with Fitness+ trainer Cory Wharton-Malcolm, celebrating Black History Month with a run through South L.A. and songs from the artists who helped put West Coast hip-hop on the map.
Apple News
Throughout the month, Apple News will highlight compelling articles, interviews and audio stories about the Black experience in America, including perspectives and analysis from top journalists. Curated collections will showcase stories from Black-led newsrooms, including Capital B, Essence, NewsOne, Howard University’s The Hilltop and more.
Apple Podcasts
Every day, listeners open Apple Podcasts to hear from the world’s most inspiring and influential voices. And each year, Apple’s collections honoring Black History Month help listeners discover creators offering essential historical context and insightful perspectives on news and culture. Beginning February 1, Apple Podcasts will spotlight shows that embody the omnipresence of Blackness — the ways that Black music, media, spaces and theory positively influence our understanding of the world and one another — from creators Bridget Todd, Bob the Drag Queen, Monét X Change and Apple Music’s Ebro Darden. Listeners will also be able to explore a bespoke selection of podcast recommendations curated by Black disruptors — visionaries in their fields who resist the status quo to share beautiful art and innovation — such as environmental activist Leah Thomas.
Apple Books
During Black History Month, Apple Books will showcase its Read More Black Authors collection, connecting readers and listeners with great books and audiobooks across different genres.
Apple Maps
The Smithsonian created a series of Guides in Apple Maps to spotlight key landmarks in the struggle for civil rights over the past century (1900-1957, 1960-1978, 1980-2020). Users can explore the guides to learn more about the events, people and places that have shaped the nation’s history.
