Janelle Monáe stars in new NYT Oscars ad for “1619 Project”
The 30-second commercial for “The 1619 Project” will highlight its impact as the centerpiece of the next wave of ads from The New York Times’s “The Truth Is Worth It” brand campaign.
Janelle Monáe has already accomplished more in her career in the last decade than most people could hope to achieve in a lifetime. Now, the actress, singer, and producer has the honor of becoming the first celebrity to appear in an advertisement for The New York Times.
According to AD Weekly, Thursday it was announced that Monáe would be starring in A 30-second commercial for “The 1619 Project” highlighting its impact is the centerpiece of the next wave of ads from The New York Times’s “The Truth Is Worth It” brand campaign.
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This is only the second time the Times has premiered an ad during the nation’s second most-watched program of the year. The first time was back in 2017 when it launched the campaign.
“[The Oscars] is such a broad platform for storytelling, it tends to ignite thoughtful conversation about our culture at large,” said Amy Weisenbach, the Times’ svp of marketing and media strategy. She added, “When I think about The 1619 Project and the impact it had on the national conversation, in particular about race, I think the Oscars provide a nice backdrop for that to live in.”
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As for why they believe this message is worth getting out to the masses, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Times journalist and architect of “The 1619 Project,” said in a statement sent to theGrio:
“Every American child learns about the Mayflower. Yet, a ship called the White Lion that arrived in 1619 and the people it carried is just as important to the story of America. Our reporting excavated this moment in our history and in doing ignited a fierce debate among historians, academics and readers of all kinds and all ages. But that’s the power of The New York Times — to spark an important dialogue that allows us to reexamine our assumptions.”
Visit nytimes.com/1619 to read “The 1619 Project” in its entirety.
