YouTube just pledged a $100 million fund to support Black creators on its platform while also vowing to tackle harassment

• YouTube has announced a multi-year $100 million fund dedicated to "amplifying and developing" the voices of Black creators.
• Some of the money will be put into new YouTube Original programming, starting with a special fundraising show titled "Bear Witness, Take Action."
• YouTube will also use its Spotlight channel during June to highlight racial justice issues.
• CEO Susan Wojcicki also said YouTube will work to tackle racism and harassment against Black artists and users on its platform.

YouTube has announced a multi-year $100 million fund dedicated to "amplifying and developing" the voices of Black creators on the platform.

In a blog post, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said YouTube was "committed to doing better as a platform" and recognized it must do more.

Some of the fund will be put towards new YouTube Original Programming, the first of which will be a special titled "Bear Witness, Take Action" airing this Saturday and will feature a range of creators and public figures.

Complimentary Tech Event

Transform talent with learning that works

Capability development is critical for businesses who want to push the envelope of innovation.Discover how business leaders are strategizing around building talent capabilities and empowering employee transformation.Know More

It will also raise money for Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit that focuses on racial inequality and those who have been unjustly imprisoned.

YouTube will also use its Spotlight channel during June to highlight racial justice issues, Wojcicki said.

YouTube made $4.04 billion in revenue in Q1 of this year, the equivalent of about $44.9 million a day.

Parent company Alphabet's own diversity standards have long been poor. Black employees comprised 3.7% of Alphabet's workforce last year, while Latino employees made up just 5.9%, according to the company's latest diversity report. The company has made improvements over time, but at a very incremental rate.

"At YouTube, we believe Black lives matter and we all need to do more to dismantle systemic racism," wrote Wojcicki in the letter. "We join in protest against the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others before them."

YouTube has also long been criticized for amplifying racism and targeted harrassment, something that Wojcicki acknowledged further down in the letter.

"Building on our work over the past several years, we're taking this moment to examine how our policies and products are working for everyone ⁠— but specifically for the Black community ⁠— and close any gaps," she wrote.

"And more broadly, we will work to ensure Black users, artists, and creators can share their stories and be protected from hateful, white supremacist, and bullying content."

YouTube is the latest company to pledge money towards fighting racial injustice. Apple just announced a $100 million initiative of its own.