Adobe celebrates Black History Month
Featuring the artwork of Yannis Davy Guibinga, Esther Luntadila, Joshua Kissi and Aurélia Durand.
This Black History Month, we honor the Black community by celebrating Black creativity past, present and future. Creativity has the power to unite us, inspire us, and drive positive change. At Adobe, we believe it is our responsibility to give diverse creators more opportunities to share their stories with the world.
In 2020, we released ‘When I See Black,’ a film told through the eyes and voices of Black creators set to Gregory Porter’s Track “Revival.” The film features artwork from Esther Luntadila, Crystal Kayiza, Temi Coker, Barry Yusufu, Devin Wesley, Aurélia Durand, Shani Crowe, Yannis Davy Guibinga, Asia Hall, Lawrence Agyei, Ismail Zaidy and Joshua Kissi, who each shared how their work is redefining the idea of what it is to be Black and what it means to make Black art. ‘When I See Black’ has been featured on Hulu, within Adobe’s ‘When I See Black’ ComplexLand exhibit, in The New York Times, and is a part of Adobe’s new strategic editorial partnership with Vanity Fair highlighting voices from underrepresented communities.
Launched in Black History Month, our partnership with Vanity Fair celebrates milestone cultural moments, including Award Season and Pride Month, through a series of profiles on emerging creators and their work, including a feature on director Shaka King with photography by Dana Shruggs. Adobe and Vanity Fair share a vision to support, elevate and amplify diverse voices and together, we are creating greater opportunities for more emerging creators to have their stories seen and heard.
Amplifying Black creators
In our ongoing mission to use our platform to enable creativity for all, we launched ‘Diverse Voices’, a dedicated place where everyone can be inspired, learn and see a broad spectrum of perspectives. Throughout Black History Month and beyond we will be highlighting the stories, artwork and perspectives of Black creators around the world.
We are also kicking off a six-month partnership with Black Archives to highlight emerging Black artists, and we will provide grants to continue their important work. Our first edition features Brittney Janea, filmmaker, photographer and editor. We’ll share her story and the stories of other Black creators across Black Archives and Adobe channels. Additionally, our weekly social series, Women Create Wednesday, will feature a special edition spotlighting four incredible Black women creators who are inspiring change in their communities: singer-songwriter Kyla Imani, attorney and blogger Cynthia Andrew, creative consultant and strategist Donye Taylor, and TikTok stars Shayne and Zayne.
Powering change from within
Through our Adobe For All vision, we believe when people feel appreciated and included, they can be more creative, innovative and successful. To help strengthen inclusion and empathy, we are hosting employee events throughout February that highlight the talent, creativity, courage, and leadership in our community, including a Black Women Creatives panel discussion, employee legacy stories, performances by musicians and artists, and a virtual marketplace to support Black-owned businesses.
Adobe provides year-round scholarship grants, mentoring and access to our industry-leading software, including Adobe Digital Academy, Adobe Creative Residency program and community challenges. In 2020, our CSR programs served 71,000 non-profits worldwide, with a program reach of 1.6 million underserved people.
In 2020, Adobe gave over $10 million in cash grants to nonprofits and programs serving underrepresented individuals, and Adobe matched over $5 million in generous employee donations to social justice causes. Overall, in 2020, Adobe invested over $86 million in our communities through our philanthropy, volunteer, and product donation programs.
Learn more about the ways we are coming together for diverse voices and emerging artists: