Masterclass Releases Free Lessons to Honor Black History Month

MasterClass has released more than 50 free lessons in honor of Black History Month, Ebony reports. 

MasterClass is a subscription-based platform that serves as the premiere destination for those looking for specialized education about a variety of topics from some of the world’s greatest minds. Recently, the platform announced a new free offering launching this February in honor of Black History Month. The three-part 54-lesson class is entitled “Black History, Black Freedom, and Black Love,” a MasterClass exploring the history and present nature of race relations in America. 

“Black History, Black Freedom, and Black Love is the most important and comprehensive class MasterClass has ever created. This class teaches us how to build a society that honors Black voices, love and joy - lessons everyone can and should hear,” said MasterClass founder and CEO David Rogier. 

Featured speakers

The class features lessons from a number of Black thought leaders including Jelani Cobb, Kimberle Williams Crenshaw, Angela Davis, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Sherrilyn Ifill, John McWhorter and Cornel West. Black History Month is an opportunity for companies to continue the national conversation around race and equity, which is why MasterClass thought it was important to make the class available to users for free, as an extension of their $2 million commitment to content that "inspires and educates on social justice and against systemic racism.”

Nekisa Cooper, VP of content at MasterClass, spoke about the collection of lessons, saying the company hopes the tutorials will inspire action around a number of societal issues and describes these lessons as the Black history that is not taught in schools. 

Dismatling white supremacy

“MasterClass instructors are truly the world’s best and it was important that we bring together a group of groundbreaking thinkers across a range of fields and experiences…Black History, Black Freedom, and Black Love provides a foundational understanding of race and racism in America, while challenging our preconceived notions around its impact throughout the past, present and future of our country’s history."

We hope anyone who watches the class leaves the experience with more awareness and understanding of the complex challenges we still face as a society today,”

said Cooper. 

The class features 54 lessons and 10 hours of content about the historical and cultural context of white supremacy and its lasting impact on the present. The goal of the class is to provide the education necessary for dismantling white supremacy and carving a path forward. 

You can access the “Black History, Black Freedom, and Black Love” class at www.masterclass.com.

This article was originally published on BOTWC