Messages about fighting systemic racism and driving social change are topping the charts and dominating the country's attention span.
Why it matters: Just as the late 1960s propelled new soundtracks, movies and shows about social justice, media today will serve as a lasting record of this moment in America's history.
Music: Juneteenth, the holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, saw a slew of new musical endeavors that rode the charts.
- Beyoncé released a new song, Black Parade, on Juneteenth.
- Artists like Wale, Black Eyed Peas, Teyana Taylor and others all debuted new albums and songs on Juneteenth.
- A remixed version of Childish Gambino's 2018 hit "This is America" has become a viral anthem on TikTok to discuss police brutality against black people.
Television: U.S. TV demand for Netflix’s "Dear White People" grew 329% during the week of May 27-June 2, per Parrot Analytics. Another Netflix show, "When They See Us," was up 147%.
- Interest in both shows intensified after Netflix launched a "Black Lives Matter" collection, promoting over 45 titles about racial injustice and the experience of black Americans.
- At the same time, reality shows about police officers — including "Cops" and "Live PD" — have been canceled for glorifying police violence.
- ABC's sitcom "Black-ish" has been moved up to return in the fall to address the current climate.
Books: Best-seller lists from Amazon, Barnes & Noble's and The New York Times have been dominated almost entirely by books on race over the last few weeks.
Podcasts: Top podcasts on Apple's charts include the N.Y. Times’ 1619, about the history of slavery in America; NPR's Code Switch, about race and identity; and Crooked Media’s Pod Save the People, which discusses race and social justice, per podcast expert Nick Quah.
Gaming: Fortnite, a popular game from Epic Games, removed police cars in light of the conversation around police brutality, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
Between the lines: Many institutions in the media and entertainment industries are still struggling to address their own shortcomings around race and diversity.
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