Disney is on a mission to support the next generation of storytellers. The Walt Disney Company has officially partnered with Howard University (HU) to equip Black content creators with the resources needed to both survive and thrive.
The Disney Storytellers Fund was established to “create opportunities for historically underrepresented students to have future careers as storytellers and innovators in media and entertainment.”
What better way than to do this with a historically Black university?
“Across Disney’s brands, we are working to amplify underrepresented voices and untold stories. The Disney Storytellers Fund at Howard will help us support students and the innovation and creativity that the university has cultivated for more than 150 years,” said Jennifer Cohen, executive vice president, Corporate Social Responsibility, The Walt Disney Company, in a joint release of the news. “We are excited to help the next generation of Black storytellers bring their ideas to life.”
Not only is the fund a huge part of the latest initiative, but the company is also working to build a collaborative hub for creators that will live inside of the newly established Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts as well as Howard’s Cathy Hughes School of Communication.
“Our students at the College of Fine Arts find their creative expression in many ways — in the performing arts, in animation, in the design of the products that we use in life,” actress Phylicia Rashad, dean of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, said in the release. “The Disney Storytellers Fund is a great support for our emerging artists as they explore and develop their potential within and across disciplines.”
The Disney news was revealed during the 2022 Essence Festival of Culture and reiterates both Howard University and The Walt Disney Company’s respective goals to create more opportunities for the next generation.
