(AllHipHop News) Reggie Hudlin will helm a virtual town hall meeting on Google-owned platform to engage top artists and celebrities to tackle the issue of police involved-violence.
On June 13th, YouTube will launch an important conversation regarding race relations in America.
The YouTube Originals called “Bear Witness, Take Action” aims to “unite and inspire the platform’s global community to take action for racial justice.”
For an hour and a half, Academy Award-winner Common and Emmy nominated Keke Palmer will engage YouTube creators, artists, influential public figures and prominent activist voices about their thoughts on the social unrest that the world is currently experiencing.
“Bear Witness, Take Action” will be structured with roundtable discussions and panels, powerful live moments, musical tributes, and more.
Moderators include Jemele Hill, Roland S. Martin, and Soledad O’Brien, while panelists lined up include Ambers Closet, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Patrisse Cullors, Kimberly N. Foster, Alicia Garza, Roxane Gay, Eddie Glaude, Andrew Hawkins, Kimberly Jones, and others.
This will be YouTube’s first project from their $100M content fund dedicated to amplifying Black voices.
“The execution of George Floyd – and Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery – has led to unprecedented protests for racial justice in every part of our nation–and globally. And it started in part because 17-year-old Darnella Frazier defiantly and courageously recorded the video that has forced us all to confront what we were seeing and name it,” explained Malika Saada Saar, a civil and human rights lawyer and Social Impact Human Rights Lead at YouTube. “Video can be a powerful human rights tool, for bearing witness to injustice and ‘Bear Witness, Take Action’ will be part of that hope and urgent call for change.”
Also, the event won’t just be a bunch of talking and pontification. There will be performances from John Legend and Trey Songz.
The show, which also will serve as a fundraiser for Bryan Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative, is set to premiere on Saturday at 6:00 pm ET / 3:00 pm PT.