MTV will broadcast in black and white in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The 12-hour Monday telecast will run from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and is part of the network’s #TheTalk campaign, where it will use its programming and social media to address racial issues in America. Viewers are urged to use the hashtag on Twitter and Instagram, and their stories could be used on air.
As Variety notes, however, commercials will continue to appear in color. But each commercial block will start with personal reflections on race from celebrities and other luminaries, from musicians Kendrick Lamar, Common, Pete Wentz, and Big Sean to politicians Rand Paul, John Lewis, and Cory Booker.
“Our audience is looking for a way to bring the national conversation on race into their homes and this campaign will give them a forum to express true color bravery,” says MTV president Stephen Friedman in a statement.
Here’s more from Variety:
MTV has lent the initiative, which will appear starting at 9 a.m. Eastern on Martin Luther King Day and continue for 12 hours, the hashtag #TheTalk, and will use on-air creative on MTV, MTV2, mtvU, MTV Hits, MTV Jams and a comprehensive editorial push across MTV’s online, mobile and social platforms to encourage audience members to share their own reflections using the hashtag and the web site, LookDifferent.org. MTV will share many of the audience contributions on-air and online.
MTV’s maneuver is part of its “Look Different” advocacy campaign against bias, which launched in April of 2014 and is shaped by a network study conducted last year on young people. race, gender and sexual orientation. According to the research, many millenials were raised to believe they should treat everyone the same, and not acknowledge racial differences and other cultural distinctions. MTV found the stance has resulted in a paucity of discussion about race or bias.
For more on MTV’s discussion on race relations and how to join in via social media, click here.
