In celebration of Juneteenth, CNN will be broadcasting a live concert, which will be musically directed by Quest Love.
On June 19, a roster of beloved Black musicians will hit the stage at the Hollywood Bowl for the first-ever Juneteenth concert. Performers include Jhene Aiko, Billy Porter, Debbie Allen Dance Academy, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Roots, Robert Glasper, Lucky Daye, Yolanda Adams, Mary Mary, Michelle Williams and Anthony Hamilton. The Debbie Allen Dance Academy and The Re-Collective Orchestra, an all-Black symphony, will also be performing.
Johnita Due, senior vice president and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer for CNN, said this production is more than a concert. It’s a way to continue to highlight the injustices, racism and inequalities that the Black community continues to face.
“We knew it was important to our country and important to our audiences to shed light on the meaning and significance of Juneteenth,” Due said. “And not only as an historic event but really as a way to engage and educate people about what still needs to happen for all of us to achieve freedom and justice.”
In June 2021, President Joe Biden signed a bill that made Juneteenth a federal holiday.
“Great nations don’t ignore their most painful moments,” Biden said when he signed the bill. “They embrace them.”
Vice President Kamala Harris added, “We have come far, and we have far to go. But today is a day of celebration.”