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U.S. statistics show a gap in STEM education: 18% of Black students score at or above proficient, vs. 56% of White students.
With “Forces of Change,” AT&T sought to help close the representation gap, amplifying stories of Black pioneers who made vital contributions to AT&T’s history. Partnering with CNN, we explored AT&T’s Archive Center, identifying stories that deserved celebration.
The series debuted with “Black Scientific Renaissance,” which told the story of Dr. James E. West, inventor of the foil electret microphone. With the proliferation of smart devices, 2.7 Billion people use his invention daily.
Beyond celebrating Black inventors, the documentary emphasizes how crucial systemic support is to enduring success for underrepresented communities. Bell Labs has funded and mentored 500+ underrepresented minority and female PHD recipients through its CRFP program.
The debut episode tallied 21M+ views across full-length and social cutdowns. 2.9M people streamed on YouTube, with 26% video completion rate (14% higher than CNN’s average), and 53.8% average percentage watched (+4% of CNN benchmarks), leading to 1.4M total completed views on the 4-minute video. Facebook viewers shared the video over 1,000 times in the first week, garnering 500k+ views.
