Netflix aired an ad during the June 24 BET Awards highlighting the company's Strong Black Lead initiative, only two days after the company announced it had fired its top public relations executive for using the N-word on multiple occasions, according to Fortune.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings wrote an internal memo June 22 that Jonathan Friedland, Netflix's chief communications officer, had been fired for displaying "unacceptably low racial awareness and sensitivity," according to Fortune.
The ad featured 47 black creators and actors from Netflix programming as part of the Strong Black Lead initiative created by black company executives. Netflix has been working on the ad for months, and it will be paired with live events and social media outreach to connect with black audiences.