The Harlem-based national non-profit Black Public Media (BPM), from which Congress snatched back $1.8 million of allocated federal funding last July, is making a pressing plea to the public for support this holiday season.
BPM said the appeal is part of its grassroots plan to raise $9 million over the next two years from individual donors, as well as large contributions from foundations and corporations.
BPM, which has funded popular documentary films and immersive media projects about the Black experience to the tune of $17 million since its founding in 1979, is asking people who care about the future of Black stories to make a donation by GivingTuesday (Dec. 2).
The proceeds raised will fuel BPM’s Black Stories Production Fund, launched in response to the federal government’s recent defunding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). CPB, which was the largest supporter of BPM, is now winding down its operations.
“Public media is for every American, and every American should be reflected in its programs and documentaries,” said BPM Executive Director Leslie Fields-Cruz.
“For nearly 50 years, Black Public Media has worked to ensure that fact,” she added. “This year, the public needs to take a stand to ensure that Black stories are never again subject to the whims of politics.”
BPM is asking the public to donate as little as $5 or as significant a contribution as they wish at: https://secure.everyaction.com/IkFxVSdjX0qpQkceW1r27g2.
It also invites foundations and other funders to support the Black Stories Production Fund.
BPM said the Fund will ensure that films are able to come to public media and beyond, including “The Inquisitor,” the Barbara Jordan documentary scheduled to premiere in January 2026; “Chisholm ’72: Unbought & Unbossed”; “Ailey”; “Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters”; “Daughters of the Dust”; “I Am Not Your Negro”; “Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes”; and “Mr. Soul, When Claude Got Shot.”
The group has nurtured the careers of generations of filmmakers and creatives who have unearthed and brought Black stories to television screens, movie theaters and personal devices across the US.
BPM said it also supports the next generation of creative technologists in emerging media (e.g., virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and other new technologies), and works to connect them to opportunities and equipment to shape impactful immersive projects.
To find out more about BPM, visit blackpublicmedia.org or follow it on social media at: @blackpublicmedia (IG, FB, TikTok and LinkedIn).
