Juneteenth Programming Schedules From TV Networks, Streaming Services, Film Festivals, Broadway And More

Tom Tapp
·8 min read

Networks and streamers are setting special programming to celebrate Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States. More specifically, Juneteenth marks the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in the last Southern holdout state, Texas, on June 19, 1865.

The 156th anniversary of that moment arrives Saturday, and this year more than ever Juneteenth is being celebrated by Hollywood. See the list of TV, streaming and festival programming below. We’ll be updating as more information comes in, so refresh for the latest.

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TV PROGRAMMING

ABC: On Friday the 18th, ABC will broadcast Juneteenth: Together We Triumph – A ‘Soul of a Nation’ Special Event. The two-hour ABC News special will be hosted by Leslie Odom Jr. will include performances by Jimmie Allen, Chloe Bailey (of Chloe x Halle) and Leon Bridges. Co-anchor Michael Strahan sat down for a one-on-one interview with former President Barack Obama about race, resilience and Obama’s book “A Promised Land.” The special will also include stories by ABC News anchors and correspondents.This marks the second year in a row ABC News will produce a special to honor the history and significance of Juneteenth. In 2020, ABC News’ primetime special Juneteenth: A Celebration of Overcoming was the number one program across the board in its time slot. The special will be available on Saturday on demand and on Hulu. The special airs Friday, June 18 from 9:01 p.m.-11:00 p.m.

ABC Owned Television Stations: ABC O&Os will celebrate Juneteenth in the multiplatform documentary, Our America: Black Freedom, which is available to stream now. Produced by the station group’s race and culture content team, the special is a celebration of freedom and the “triumph of human spirit.” The company’s digital-native lifestyle brand, Localish, which is available on digital subchannels in the eight ABC O&O markets will spotlight “All Red Everything: Juneteenth Food Traditions” from the “Black Freedom’ special. Our America: Black Freedom will air across the owned stations connected TV apps on streaming platforms Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku with a Hulu premiere on Saturday, June 19, which marks the historical anniversary of Juneteenth. ABC O&Os will also have unique Juneteenth programming in their eight markets: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh-Durham. Topics will include the history of Juneteenth, hymns of freedom, generational wealth, reparations, and examinations of the holiday in NYC and California. For more on each station’s Juneteenth programming slate, click here.

TBS: TBS will kick off the weekend with the premiere of its new Friday Night Vibes block. Friday Night Vibes is a new 52-week movie showcase featuring diverse voices. Snoop Dogg joins host Tiffany Haddish and co-host Deon Cole as their first in-studio guest. The premiere block is a double feature of Creed and Creed 2 as well as a discussion on the origins of Juneteenth. On Saturday, TBS will air a Juneteenth Movie Marathon starting at noon, ET with the Creed films followed by Black Panther at 5 p.m., ET. Friday Night Vibes debuts on June 18 at 7:30pm ET/PT.

PBS: PBS has scheduled two programs in honor of Juneteenth. Say It Loud, the PBS Digital Studios series that celebrates Black culture, context and history will premiere a new episode entitled “Are Black People Truly Free? Juneteenth and the Continuing Fight For Liberation” on Tuesday, June 15. PBS stations will also air Slavery by Another Name, a powerful documentary highlighting how many African Americans were pulled back into forced labor with shocking brutality after the official end of slavery in 1865. Slavery by Another Name will air on Saturday, June 19. Both programs are free to audiences and available via the PBS Video App and PBS.org.

CBS: Ava DuVernay’s Academy Award-nominated film Selma will make its broadcast debut the weekend of Juneteenth as the “CBS Sunday Night Movie.” Selma chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965 when Dr. Martin Luther King led thousands of nonviolent demonstrators on a campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of brutal opposition. The film will be broadcast June 20 (8:00-11:00 p.m., ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Revolt: Revolt has announced a special episode of Revolt Black News in partnership with Vice Media Group to honor Juneteenth. The Juneteenth Town Hall & Celebration will encourage young changemakers to exercise their political rights and benefit future generations. The special will feature conversations and musical performances from Earthgang, Tristan Mack Wilds, Van Lathan, Tiara Thomas, Kiana Ledé and a report from Vice News Correspondent Dexter Thomas. The Juneteenth Town Hall & Celebration is premiering on Revolt’s linear TV channel and Vice TV on Saturday, June 19th at 12:00 p.m., ET.

FX & FXM: The networks ill celebrate Juneteenth with black-ish episodes and two movie marathons on FX, FXX and FXM, airing on Saturday. FX will show Selma, The Hate U Give, BlacKkKlansman, Green Book and Hidden Figures from 7:00 a.m.-4:00 a.m. ET/PT. FXX will air more than a dozen episodes of black-ish on Saturday from 7:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. ET/PT. On the same day, FXM will air The Hate U Give, Get Out and Selma from 3:00 p.m.-3:30 a.m. ET/12:00 p.m.-12:30 a.m. PT.

STREAMERS

Peacock: Rachel Boynton’s Civil War (Or, Who Do We Think We Are) explores how Americans tell the story of the country’s Civil War. Filmed from President Obama’s final year in office through the present, it interweaves scenes and interviews filmed in the North and South, painting a multi-faceted portrait of the American psyche and the deep roots of our turbulent times. The film lays bare a nation in denial, haunted by an embittered past and the stories it refuses to tell. Civil War (Or, Who Do We Think We Are) is exec produced by Brad Pitt and Henry Louis Gates, Jr. It premieres on the streaming service on June 17.

MagellanTV: Premium documentary streaming service MagellanTV will be making two of its feature documentaries free for the holiday weekend, June 18-20. During this window, even those without a Magellan subscription can watch the educational and compelling docs Monumental Crossroads: Heritage, History, And Hate and The Fight for the Black Middle Class for free on Magellan’s service. Those documentaries are also part of a special, six-title Juneteenth Playlist that the service has put together for subscribers.

Tubi: Tubi’s United Against Inequality: Legacy of Juneteenth container
offers over a dozen documentaries centered around the experiences of the black community including I Am Not Your Negro, Anita and Up From Slavery. Tubi is available on Android and iOS mobile devices, Amazon Echo Show, Google Nest Hub, and on OTT devices such as Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, Vizio TVs, Sony TVs, Samsung TVs, Hisense TVs, Comcast X1, Cox Contour, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S. Consumers can also watch Tubi content on the web at http://www.tubi.tv/.

EVENTS

Tribeca Festival: The 2021 Tribeca Festival has a full lineup of specially-curated Juneteenth programming. Each day throughout the festival, Tribeca’s storytelling verticals will highlight the voices of the African Diaspora with an emphasis on African-American artists, performers, filmmakers and interdisciplinary creators — all culminating on Saturday’s Juneteenth holiday. For the first time ever, Tribeca will present The Harry Belafonte Voices For Social Justice Award named for the famed performer, actor, activist and civil rights leader. The Belafonte Award recognizes individuals who have used storytelling and the arts to enact change in their communities. This year’s inaugural recipient is Stacey Abrams; honored for her outstanding leadership, service and commitment to fighting against injustices through her work as a political leader, voting rights activist and novelist. Tickets and programing specifics are available at www.tribecafilm.com/festival. Tribeca runs June 9-20.

American Cinematheque: American Cinematheque will celebrate Juneteenth with an outdoor screening of Lovers Rock. The event will include a Q&A with filmmaker Steve McQueen and a silent dance party on the rooftop of NeueHouse Hollywood. There will be music by DJ Benjamin Walker, food provided from Mia’s Kitchen and drink service will happen cabaret style at each guest pod. The June 19th event is limited to Cinematheque members. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the lights go down at 8:30 p.m.

The Broadway League: The Broadway League’s Black to Broadway Initiative will present its inaugural Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth, a free outdoor event centered around Black joy and unity that will feature Black Broadway performers in a 90-minute concert. The program is open to all, including those who identify as Black, their allies and anyone else who feels a connection to this holiday. Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth will feature cast members from such shows as Girl from the North Country, The Lion King, Moulin Rouge, The Phantom of the Opera, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical and Thoughts of a Colored Man. There will be special appearances by Lillias White, Ben Vereen and more to be announced in a concert of song and dance with live music provided by The Music Performance Trust Fund. The inaugural event will take place in Times Square (Broadway between 43rd & 44th Streets) on Saturday, June 19, 2021 from noon – 1:30 PM (rain or shine).

Intersectional Voices Collective: Grassroots arts organization Intersectional Voices Collective, in partnership with Hi-Arts and The Africa Center, announced the second iteration of its combination Black Lives Matter demonstration and Pride party, the Juneteenth Jubilee. The Jubilee features a lineup of Black trans and queer bands, singers, dancers, rappers, and spoken word artists, culminating in a “Rose Court” ceremony honoring black women leaders in the community. Performers include Icon Sinia Alaia, Courtney Washington and The Masterz at Work Dance Family, Britton & The Sting, Litty Official, Jiggy, Linda LA, Jlore, Alphonso Horne. Up and coming Ballroom legends Byrell the Great will DJ a Ballroom exhibition set with Karma Mulan set to MC. The Rose Court ceremony will be hosted by Stonewall Protests founder, Qween Jean. The celebratory event will be held on June 19th from 1-7pm in the plaza bordering The Africa Center on the corners of 5th avenue, Duke Ellington Circle, and Tito Puente Way,

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