TikTok celebrates cultural roots in campaign for Black History Month

TikTok has launched a national campaign celebrating the platform’s black artists and content creators for Black History Month.

Created by TikTok Creative Lab EU (the brand’s in-house creative arm), “#MyRoots” features singer and songwriter Cat Burns, footballer Jeremy Lynch, queer creator Lily-Rose, actor Michael Dapaah and comedian Sherice Banton as they showcase the skills, passions and “authenticity” that have led them to success on the social platform.

The campaign launches today (Monday) and will run throughout Black History Month alongside in-app and out-of-home activity, including murals at Camden Lock and the Prince of Peckham pub. It was directed by Caleb Femi. 

"It was important for us to mark Black History Month in the UK this year in a way that felt inherently TikTok – by celebrating our creators and their stories,” Trevor Johnson, global business marketing director at TikTok, said.

“'#MyRoots' will honour the contribution made by the black community, the joy our black friends, family and colleagues bring and look ahead to the future of black talent on TikTok.

“This campaign has been developed to shine a light on the different experiences and stories of the black community and has been carefully curated to feature the brightest black talent from across the UK.”

The work is part of TikTok’s Black History Month celebrations, including a digital partnership with conference Black Tech Fest, which aims to encourage networking between black professionals. There are also playlists curated by black artists, including Arlo Parks and Unknown T.

Lily-Rose said: "I think it’s positive how TikTok is trying to spread awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement and are proactively encouraging the voices of black creators to be heard. 

“It's great to see a platform with the prominence of TikTok finally giving black creators the recognition they deserve and bringing them to the forefront of the app."

TikTok will also be presenting Black History, Black Present and Black Future – a series of live panel discussions that cover topics including black hair, beauty and fashion, as well as mental health and black history.

The series is set to feature TV presenters June Sarpong and Alison Hammond, comedians Chunkz and Filly, activist and rapper Akala, campaigner Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu and entrepreneur Remel London. 

Ary Arasen, creative at TikTok Creative Lab, added: “This was a great collaboration with black directors, black creators, black illustrators, black photographers and black musicians to bring to life an authentic campaign created by the black employees for the black community."

Last month, TikTok launched its biggest UK ad campaign to date with a “love letter” to its creators.