@MadeByBlackSC celebrates and uplifts Black creatives

Illuminated in colorful Instagram posts that highlight a wide range of talent, @MadeByBlackSC is a social media account created to help elevate the voices and share the work of Black artists and creatives at USC. In an environment where Black artists were not being rightfully listened to, co-founders Chloe Janson and Naomi Ituah saw the perfect opportunity to make a difference.

“Over the summer, when protests broke out due to police brutality and other social injustices, as a white, privileged student, I wanted to do something that contributed to the Black Lives Matter movement,” Janson wrote in an email to the Daily Trojan. “Because of my passion for the arts, I wanted to specifically contribute to the Black artistic community.”

Janson and Ituah met through their shared connection of being in the same cohort within the School of Cinematic Arts’ Cinema and Media Studies program. The account was created by Janson and Ituah in July 2020,  after protests broke out due to police brutality and other social injustices that had increasing levels of awareness and attention. Janson reached out to Ituah, who she knew had just led a protest in her hometown, and together they created the Instagram account and began organizing interviews, captions and communications with artists. 

Currently, the account posts spotlights on their feed about once a month, as well as  sharing a variety of materials including artists’ work on their story, resources for Black artists and posts from informational resource accounts including @blackartistfund, @blackartfuturesfund and @blacklunchtable. All of these provide unique resources for the community.

The artist spotlights consist of cute graphics that have the individuals name, photo, pronouns, artistic endeavors, samples of their work, as well as interview questions shared in the caption. 

The interview questions composed to spotlight Black USC artists and creators are extensive, diving into their Black roots, the way their heritage impacts their art and experiences when they have received less recognition than their white peers. 

“Our mission is to share in-depth features of USC Black artists,” Janson wrote. “Our interview questions are extensive. Our goal is to give our community of Black creatives a space to be honest about their work, instead of simply showcasing it to the USC community.”

Courtney Commodore, a Black artist at USC and member of Break Through Hip-Hop, was contacted by @MadeByBlackSC about doing a feature spotlight on their page. Commodore, a senior majoring in spanish and global health, spoke about her experience with the dance community, her personal connection with fans and how dance could be a force of power in the Black Lives Matter Movement. 

“To see the people that I know and that I’ve seen create and [their] growth, regardless of whatever their talents and passions are — photography, music, just all types of visual and performing arts ­— it’s been really cool to be able to see my friends get the recognition that they deserve,” Commodore said. 

Since the start of the account, they have gained nearly a thousand followers, making a real impact through the resources and support they are providing Black USC students with. 

Awo Jama, another Black USC artist who was featured on the page, was interviewed for a spotlight after stumbling upon the account and messaging them. Jama, a junior majoring in journalism, was able to share her poetry, film and writing with the USC community.

Although things at USC are starting to change, not enough recognition is given to the Black community at USC, Jama said. This account is essential in providing a safe space for shedding awareness on all of the amazing work done by Black creatives at the school.

“It’s a really great platform to elevate Black voices and Black art and expression, which often we don’t really see a lot of platforms that are wholeheartedly dedicated to just showcasing the work of Black creatives,” Jama said.

Although running the account has presented challenges, particularly in finding the time to conduct extensive interviews while balancing school and the pandemic, creating and maintaining a space for support of Black creatives is a priority, wrote Janson.

Janson and Ituah hope to continue growing the account, even post-graduation. They hope to involve current students with their team once they graduate, but still plan on being a part of the process. In addition, they want to see the account continue to grow as new classes of Trojans join the USC community.

“@MadeByBlackSC is a platform that shares with the USC community the unheard voices of USC’s Black creatives,” Janson