MTV has taken their own approach in adding to the discussion on race in time for Martin Luther King Day.
The Huffington Post reported the network will air their programs in black and white for 12 hours. Their campaig, known as #TheTalk, is their way of honoring Doctor Martin Luther King’s legacy and the work he did in order to gain racial equality.
During each commercial break, many cultural and policital figures will appear to discuss their feelings about relationships when it comes to race, in the hopes that it will get responses from viewers for their campaign. Some of the individuals will include Kendrick Lamar, Rep. John Lewis, and David Oyelowo, who starred in Selma.
Stephen Friedman, president of MTV, spoke of the event saying, “Underlying some of the blindness around bias and prejudice is a lack of understanding of the history- of why we are where we are today.”
He also described MLK day as being a day that is “so critical” since it encompasses the history and legacy he left us with.
The Guardian reported organizations have also partnered with the television network including the nAACP and the National Partnership for Women and Families.
MTV has another project called “Look Different,” which works to eliminate bias against all forms such as gender, sexual orientation, and race. This newest #TheTalk effort was done in the hopes it would eliminate the divide between understanding the bias that is prevalent and how to confront the issue as well as address it altogether.