You know, I’ve had an Apple Watch for years, since the Series 1, and I still have never participated in one of their monthly competitions for a prize. Apparently, every month, Apple has various virtual awards you can win for getting a certain amount of exercise or activity. I’ve won a few, but I never paid much attention to them. Close your move ring every day. Get 30 minutes of exercise 7 days in a row. That sort of thing. This month, rather than being about Valentine’s Day (ugh), it’ll be about Black History Month. The “Unity Challenge” is to close your move ring for 7 days in a row. The award “celebrates Black history” … somehow. Although, how does exercise celebrate any other the other holidays? I guess I could see it for pre-Valentine’s Day, post-Thanksgiving guilt, New Years, and maybe for Fourth of July? Those seem like workout-heavy holidays.
Still, it had the intended effect. I’ve been extra busy with work lately (you couldn’t tell from my erratic upload schedule?), and hadn’t gotten around to reading more than a few headlines from stories. My friend pointing out the award she won (I have not been exercising enough during quarantine to earn anything besides slightly higher numbers on my scale) lead me to Apple’s Newsroom and their newly announced initiatives. Turns out Apple’s doing far more than name a virtual award after Black History Month.
Which is good, because an award alone would be a little silly.
In This Article:
Apple Products
Apple’s products and services are legendary, and have propelled Apple to the spot of most valuable company in the world more than once. They often celebrate special events with special products. They’ll feature apps made by female-lead teams in the App Store, release new Pride Apple Watch bands for pride, and carry themes over into other services. For Black History month, Apple once again featured their products and services, but they’re doing so much more.
Black Unity Collection Apple Watch
In what seems to be a first of its kind from Apple, Apple has released the “Black Unity Collection” Apple Watch. The new Apple Watch features a new Sport Band and watch face based on the colors from the Pan-African flag.
Red for the blood that unites people of the African Diaspora and was shed for their liberation. Black for the people whose existence is affirmed by the flag. Green for the vibrant natural wealth of Africa, the Motherland.
The new watchface changes throughout the day. The Sport Band that comes with the watch or is available separately has “Truth,” “Power,” and “Solidarity” etched onto the inside of the pin. The Apple Watch itself is a Space Gray aluminum Apple Watch, with a “Black Unity” laser-etched back crystal. It starts at $399 for the 40mm version, and $429 for the 44mm version. The Sport band is $49, like Apple’s other sport bands. The watch face is free for all Apple Watch owners on the latest OS. You can download it by visiting Apple’s website in Safari on your iPhone.
So… Selling Something?
Yeah, I had the same thought at first. After all, it’s not much different than what Apple did for their Pride collection watch bands and watch faces. Apple’s selling something to a marginalized group. Now, make no mistake, I have two Pride bands and I love them. Wore one of them during my first Pride parade, it really was something special. I would never say Apple shouldn’t make these products, I’m glad they’re making them. They can help raise social consciousness for change.
But they can also raise money.
A portion of the sale of Apple’s Pride Apple Watch bands apparently goes to undisclosed LGBTQ charities. Fortunately, Apple isn’t so shy with their list of benefactors for their Black History Month special editions.
Sales of the new Apple Watch will support six global organizations for promoting civil rights: Black Lives Matter Support Fund via the Tides Foundation, European Network Against Racism, International Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights, Leadership Conference Education Fund, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and Souls Grown Deep. Apple doesn’t say how much of the sales of their products go to these charities, but they never do. Still, at least it’s more than a fresh coat of paint on the Apple Watch, Apple really is sharing the wealth.
Music, Maps, Books, Apps, TV, News, Podcasts…
Apple’s also highlighting apps by Black creators and Black-owned business in the App Store, music by Black artists, books by Black authors, TV shows and Podcasts from Black creators, and featuring news spotlights on racial justice. Apple is also featuring a new Maps feature, to help users find Black-owned restaurants in their area through a partnership with EatOkra. Apple’s highlighting Black business owners and creatives in every aspect of their services. It shows dedication to curation and discovery, perhaps even societal change.
Racial Justice and Equity Initiative
Apple’s putting $100 million into projects to help advance Black and minority students, as well as ensure history is not forgotten. The programs aim to help Black founders, as well as Black students who have been let down by decades of racist policies. Over time, they can serve as a part of our march toward a more equatable and fair world.
The Propel Center
Announced last month, the Propel Center will be Apple’s central “learning hub.” This will be located on the Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUC Consortium) campus. This campus is made up of four Historically Black College and Universities (HBCU), Clark Atlanta University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, and Morehouse School of Medicine.
The Propel Center will be a sort of “school-within-a-school.” The school will teach an accelerator program, to help students learn about the tech industry. From programming to design to agri-tech, students will have a wealth of knowledge necessary to push the industry forward. It’ll be the center location of a global initiative to spread this knowledge worldwide, especially among HBCU schools. It’ll feature on-site living accommodations, will have lecture halls, learning labs, and common areas.
The Propel Center will have a physical location, but the program will go beyond those walls. This is about providing education and programs to students in other schools as well. A virtual campus feature with Propel Online will bring the same curriculum to HBCUs across the country.
HBCUs have been a necessary part of higher learning for, unfortunately, decades. Racism in admissions can reduce the number of Black students who gain acceptance to other schools. In the time of segregation, HBCUs were the only schools for higher learning that would even allow Black students in the United States. They have been a necessary part of our world, to undo damage and preserve culture and history.
Detroit Developer Academy
Detroit is starting to see a small resurgence. Companies like Microsoft have set up headquarters in the city once the home of the American auto industry and one of the riches cities in the world. Now, tech companies have seen its potential as a tech hub.
Apple will set up their first developer school in the U.S. in Detroit. They’re working with Michigan State University to set up two different courses. The first is a 30-day bootcamp to introduce students with no programming experience to coding and the software industry. The second is a 10-12 month program. This will be a full school program, with classes on software and business management. It’s like a one-stop startup incubator. A developer learning from these classes will get a well-rounded education that includes business and design, along with programming.
Donations
Apple is also making donations to venture capitalist (VC) firms to aid in investment of diverse founders. VCs often invest in startups, providing the money necessary to start a new business. There’s a huge problem with them though. They’re far less likely to give that money to BIPOC founders or women. When they do, they invest far less money. This almost dooms Black, female, and minority-owned businesses from the start. With that in mind, Apple’s donating to Harlem Capital and Siebert Williams’ Clear Vision Fund to help the founders VCs normally ignore get the kickstart they need to start their new business.
Apple’s also making a donation the The King Center, a memorial charity founded in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The King Center provides education and training to help students and anyone willing to learn to push for a better world using “Dr. King’s nonviolent philosophy and methodology.”
Apple will also continue their support of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. This is a museum in Birmingham, Alabama, dedicated to preserving the history and struggles of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. It depicts statues and exhibits showcasing the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s and 60’s. Preserving our past is a way to ensure the future is better.
The Pipeline Problem
If you’ve tried to work on improving hiring at a tech company before, you’ve likely heard of the “pipeline problem.” It’s usually in reference to the abyssal number of women hired in tech companies. They claim that there just aren’t enough female tech experts. The point carries some merit, women are underrepresented in collegiate Computer Science and software engineering programs, but they have been entering coding bootcamps in record numbers. Furthermore, blaming “the pipeline problem” just allows these companies an excuse to set a “lofty” goal of 30% female employees (women make up over 50% of the population, as a reminder). These companies ignore the fact that they judge women more harshly in interviews, in promotion decisions, and engage in a variety of microaggressions in the workplace that keep women from moving up in a career. They ignore the fact that for every woman they bring in, another leaves their company in frustration.
The story is true of other marginalized groups as well, but it carries more merit. While the pipeline problem for women is caused by the fortunately shrinking stigma of women in STEM majors, we haven’t done enough to solve the issue for underprivileged students. High schools in poorer districts are less likely to have up-to-date learning materials and less likely to teach coding, software, or computer fundamentals. As a result, students aren’t exposed to this early on, and continue to think of software as one of those mysterious things they just can’t figure out.
Disproportionately, those poorer districts are home to BIPOC people. Due to redlining, stigma, over-policing, and racist policies, other systematic issues of racism, areas with a majority BIPOC population receive less funding for education. They also have far more issues outside of school to deal with.
Apple’s not going to solve systematic racism in a day. However, if their new plan becomes a standard, it could be a way for businesses to step in and do what government should be doing: providing for those affected by systematic racism and oppression. It’s not a good thing to see businesses weaving their way into people’s lives, but, at the same time, it’s not as though anyone else is doing it. Apple’s investments will help more underprivileged students get the leg up our society willingly gives to those who exist with privilege. It’s something—not enough—but something, and perhaps it can help us demand more.
A Long Road Ahead
The pipeline problem isn’t the only problem facing Black Americans as they enter STEM fields. They have to face the same prejudice and unconscious bias that created the “pipeline problem” to begin with. Anti-bias education programs within companies are great, but they’re not enough to get to the heart of the matter. Unconscious biasing training hasn’t been as effective as we would like. Still, some people are finally listening. Others, it would seem, are still a bit hard of hearing.
Apple’s not going to fix racism. They can talk about intentions all they want, but they’re a small player. Yes, the most valuable company in the world is a small player. When it comes to fighting racism, Apple’s just one piece of a multi-billion piece puzzle. Still, their initiatives could help other pieces fall into place. Other businesses and even governments may see the success of Apple’s program and join in. Maybe some of Apple’s measures are too small to do something on their own, but its part of a plan. It’s progress.
The first step to changing the future is figuring out what it should look like. Apple just showed us what they think the future should be. Hopefully the steps they’ve taken help us get closer to that goal.