ABC will air the primetime special Juneteenth: A Celebration of Overcoming at 8 p.m. ET June 19. Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in America. ABC News anchors and correspondents on the special include Linsey Davis, Byron Pitts, Deborah Roberts, TJ Holmes, Steve Osunsami and Janai Norman. Whoopi Goldberg, moderator on The View, will also appear.
“Juneteenth is a day celebrated and commemorated around the country by millions of Americans,” said Catherine McKenzie, executive producer for the special. “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.”
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,” said ABC News.
National Geographic will simulcast the special.
