TikTok Announces Programming for Black History Month

TikTok has announced a range of activations for Black History Month, including a showcase of emerging Black creators, a new business accelerator program and even in-person events.

First off, TikTok’s announced a new cohort of creators who will be part of its 2025 “Black Creators to Watch” initiative.

As explained by TikTok:

“There’s a wealth of Black creators who are championing communities, breaking boundaries, and uplifting others both on and off of TikTok. This year, we’re looking to the future with a special spotlight on industry-shifting Black creators, community voices and business owners who are making waves on Tiktok and beyond.”

The group includes educators, beauty influencers, business owners, and more, all of whom will get additional exposure and promotional opportunities during the month.

TikTok will also highlight Black-owned businesses via the @tiktokcreators profile, with a special #ShopBlackOwned series, while it’s also running its annual #ShopBlackOwned promotion in the TikTok Shop.

“This month’s #ShopBlackOwned series will include product highlights in the TikTok shop tab, in-app livestream shopping sessions highlighting Black-owned brands, as well as a documentary-style showcase that will spotlight breakout success stories across our community of diverse Black-owned SMBs.”

And this time around, there’ll also be an IRL element, with TikTok running various community experiences throughout the U.S.

Which is especially interesting considering TikTok’s current status in the nation, as it’s technically banned under the sell-off law. But the Trump administration is working on an alternative that keeps TikTok in the nation, and has assured providers that they won’t be fined for enabling it to keep running.

At present, people who’ve already downloaded the app in the U.S. can still use it, but no new users can access it, due to Apple and Google abiding by the letter of the law and excluding it from their respective app stores. Which means that IRL promotions are a little weird, in that they’re generally used to raise awareness and drive downloads, but that can’t happen in TikTok’s case.

But they’re going ahead with the plan either way.

Finally, TikTok’s also launching a new “SOAR Together” funding program, which will provide new funding opportunities for Black entrepreneurs.

“We’re excited to announce the 2025 SOAR Together, a Black-owned business accelerator program developed to help grow their businesses on TikTok Shop, in collaboration with Black Girl Ventures. For this year’s accelerator program, we will select 20 businesses to participate in a 6-week program, which includes access to educational courses, plus business coaching and mentorship from celebrated guest speakers. Following completion of the program, businesses will be invited to convene for a special in-person graduation ceremony.”

In a range of ways, TikTok has helped to amplify Black communities in the U.S., and provide opportunities to emerging creators from a broad range of backgrounds, helping them to reach new audiences and build their careers. As such, its removal in the region could have a big impact on the same, and you can see that reflected in the creators that TikTok is highlighting this time around.

It’s another reminder of what may be lost if TikTok goes away, while also helping to boost these emerging voices.

You can read more about TikTok’s Black History Month initiatives here.