A number of networks, streamers and platforms have programming planned to celebrate Juneteenth National Independence Day, the federal holiday that commemorates the ending of slavery in the U.S.
From specials to live events and specially curated movies, Juneteenth programming begins Tuesday and extends through the month.
A rundown:
CBS News will offer special programming for Juneteenth. During CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell, chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett explores both the past and the future of African Americans in Major League Baseball. Garrett visits Rickwood Field in Birmingham, AL – America’s oldest professional ballpark and the site of an MLB game this week – to examine \efforts being made to bring more Black players into the game. CBS Mornings will including a profile of Hollis Baclay, chef and owner of Bleu Fin Bar & Grill in Brooklyn, and also speak with Black Restaurant Week’s founder Warren Luckett about why he began it five years ago, along with the history and importance of Juneteenth. CBS Saturday Morning will profile Michelin-star chef Camari Mick, executive pastry chef at The Musket Room and Raf’s on “The Dish.” Several CBS stations in Colorado, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Miami, Boston, Minnesota and Los Angeles, among others, have special coverage planned.
Kendrick Lamar
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Prime Video will have a dedicated carousel with content celebrating Black historians culture from June 18-20. More can be found on Prime’s year-round Culture Rated collection page. Kendrick Lamar’s “The Pop Out — Ken & Friends” concert in Los Angeles on Wednesday will livestream on Prime Video and the Amazon Music Channel on Twitch.
Disney+ is featuring an “Honoring Juneteenth” set on its service. Among the titles highlighted are Betty & Coretta, Hidden Figures, Erased: WW2’s Heroes of Color, The Real Red Tails, Ruby Bridges and The Space Race.
Hulu has a curated collection with titles highlighting African American history and culture. Its list includes Clotilda: The Last American Slave Ship and Clotilda: The Return Home, Genius: MLK/X, Origin and The 1619 Project.
Fox Sports will air an MLB Negro League Tribute game on Thursday from Rickwood Field In Birmingham, AL. The game is between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Broadway League’s Black to Broadway initiative will presents the free outdoor event Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth in New York City. The 11 a.m. ET rain-or-shine concert features an entirely Black Broadway cast performing musical numbers and will include the presentation of the Juneteenth Legacy Award to Tony Award winner Phylicia Rashad, with Michael James Scott to host. Deborah Cox, currently starring as Glinda in the Broadway revival of The Wiz, will be performing her hit “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here” in honor of Rashad’s awards presentation. It will take place at Duffy Square in Times Square (Broadway between 46th & 47th Streets). Information: www.diversity.broadway
CNN will air the hourlong special Juneteenth: Celebrating Freedom and Legacy hosted by Victor Blackwell on June 19. Smokey Robinson, Patti LaBelle and John Legend will perform and sit down with Blackwell to discuss music, freedom and the legacy in the U.S.
Paramount+’s Black Voices Collection features an array of films, TV series, documentaries, comedy specials and more highlighting the stories and contributions of Black trailblazers in the arts, culture, history and beyond. Titles include Selma, Lawmen: Bass Reeves, Red Tails, 12 Years a Slave, Lee Daniels’ The Butler, Lincoln, Freedom Writers, Dreamgirls and more.
BET monthly magazine America In Black returns to celebrate Juneteenth, Pride Month and Black music month with an all-new episode premiering Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT. It will feature segments on autism in the Black community; the history and importance of voguing; and a special Black Music Month celebration with Lenny Kravitz. It will also include Black country music stars, and the grandmother of Juneteenth, Opal Lee.
TheGrio TV network will premiere its second TheGrio Heroes at 4:30 p.m. PT on Thursday, followed by Byron Allen Presents Juneteenth Celebrating Centuries of Black Excellence. TheGrio Heroes recognizes 10 outstanding African Americans who have demonstrated exceptional dedication and commitment to their communities, significantly impacting numerous fields.
Allen’s special will span decades of Black excellence, honoring civil rights figures like Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X, musical trailblazers like Little Richard and Whitney Houston, acting legends like Whoopi Goldberg and Sidney Poitier, along with others. Allen is joined by TheGrio’s Natasha S. Alford and Touré, plus celebrities like LeVar Burton, Tamron Hall, Kevin Frazier, Jon Kelley, Loni Love and Shaun Robinson.
‘Black Panther’
Marvel / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection
TBS and TNT will have a Juneteenth movie marathon. The lineup includes Creed 2, 42, Black Panther, The Pursuit of Happyness and King Richard.
Max on June 27 will debut Breaking New Ground, a TV show hosted by Robert Hartwell that takes viewers on a journey of purchasing and renovating a 200-year-old colonial mansion, built when slavery was still legal in the U.S. Hartwell purchased the home on Juneteenth in 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic and countrywide protests against racism. As a Black gay man, he vowed to purchase this house that was built by slaves in 1820 with the intention of filling it with love and as a generational investment.