ABC News will present a primetime special Juneteenth: A Celebration of Overcoming on Friday, June 19 at 8:00pm ET on ABC.
What’s happening:
- ABC News has announced it will present a prime-time special, Juneteenth: A Celebration of Overcoming.
- The hour long program will commemorate Juneteenth, the holiday celebrating the end of slavery in America, and examine its symbolism among the Black community and around the nation.
- Led by a team of ABC News anchors and correspondents including:
- ABC News Live Prime anchor Linsey Davis
- Nightline co-anchor Byron Pitts
- Deborah Roberts
- TJ Holmes
- Steve Osunsami
- Janai Norman
- The View moderator Whoopi Goldberg
- The one-hour special will feature reporting from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Galveston, Texas, and other cities across the country observing the day.
- Juneteenth: A Celebration of Overcoming airs Friday, June 19 (8:00 – 9:00 pm EDT), on ABC.
About the special:
- Juneteenth: A Celebration of Overcoming will present intimate stories, examining the legacy of the holiday through the current lens of political and social unrest that has captured global attention.
- The special will feature stories of Black-owned businesses and the #BuyBlack movement to support them, the fight for voting rights and protecting them in 2020, the struggle to pass congressional anti-lynching legislation, the power of Black spirituality and the church and other houses of faith, and how a legacy of suffering has often been transformed into joy through the lens of artists.
Juneteenth: A Celebration of Overcoming is executive produced by Catherine McKenzie.
What they’re saying:
- Catherine McKenzie, executive producer: “Juneteenth is a day celebrated and commemorated around the country by millions of Americans. For a lot of people, including myself, it’s a day of serious reflection and observance of the struggles of all those who came before us. For some, it’s also a time to look forward at the struggles that still exist and have hope for the future. This Friday night, we’re excited to share the history and meaning of Juneteenth, as we also recognize where we are in this moment of American history and how far we still have to go.”
More Juneteenth:
- FX will offer a special programming lineup across all of their television networks (FX, FXX, and FXM) in honor of Juneteenth. The all-day marathon includes films such as Selma and multiple episodes of Atlanta and Black-ish.