Juneteenth Concert Featuring SWV, Miguel, Kirk Franklin to Air Live on CNN and OWN

(Clockwise L-R) SWV, Miguel and Kirk Franklin are scheduled to perform at the 2023 Juneteenth: A Global Celebration for Freedom Concert. (Handout and Shutterstock)

A nationally televised Juneteenth concert will air live on CNN and OWN, the networks announced Wednesday.

This year’s celebration includes performances by Jodeci, Kirk Franklin, SWV, Coi Leray, Miguel, and Davido, with more artists to be announced later.

The concert titled “Juneteenth: A Global Celebration for Freedom” takes place at the historic Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. This marks a location change after last year’s inaugural event was held at the Hollywood Bowl.

“We are proud to once again partner with Live Nation Urban to broadcast this powerful Juneteenth event on our platforms,” said Chris Licht, CEO of CNN Worldwide. “We want to be a destination for people to both understand and celebrate a holiday of this magnitude.”

The event is once again being produced in partnership with a team of Black creatives with Live Nation Urban and Jesse Collins Entertainment at the helm. Adam Blackstone and Questlove serve as musical directors of the concert for the second year in a row.

Related Story: Earth Wind & Fire, Bell Biv DeVoe Bring Fans to Their Feet at 2022 Juneteenth Concert (Photos)

The 2022 concert featured Earth Wind & Fire, Yolanda Adams, Bell Biv DeVoe, Billy Porter, Ne-Yo, Khalid, The Roots, Mary Mary, Anthony Hamilton, Michelle Williams, and other artists.

It aired on CNN and was the most-watched show with the Black audience in all of cable and broadcast television in the 8pm-11pm timeslot. This year, the event is being simulcast on OWN, which like CNN is part of Warner Bros. Discovery.

“Juneteenth continues to be deeply important to our audience and it’s this deep significance that makes this simulcast really feel like an opportunity to be of service,” said Tina Perry, president of OWN. “We are taking this day to celebrate alongside American families and reflect on this historic turning point for our nation.”

This year marks the 158th anniversary of Juneteenth. The day commemorates June 19, 1865, when enslaved people in Texas learned about the Emancipation Proclamation, two and a half years after it was signed, marking the end of slavery in the U.S.

In 2021, President Joe Biden declared Juneteenth a federal holiday.

“Juneteenth: A Global Celebration of Freedom” takes place in L.A. on Monday, June 19. Tickets can be purchased here.

The concert airs live starting at 5pm PT/8pm ET on CNN and OWN. There will also be pre-show coverage beginning at 4pm PT/7pm ET to highlight African-American advocates, trailblazers and creators on only on CNN. OWN’s coverage begins with the concert.

11 thoughts on “Juneteenth Concert Featuring SWV, Miguel, Kirk Franklin to Air Live on CNN and OWN

  1. I don’t know what’s worse. CNN pandering for viewers based on skin tone, or this article bringing it up as though it’s something more than virtue signaling.

  2. “Ooooh, I can’t wait for the all white concert!” Yeah, right…

  3. Why Los Angeles? 8 percent black. Why not Atlanta? Or in Texas where this originated?

    1. We do not want this crap in Atlanta. It took years to get rid of Freaknik.

  4. So moronic. “Juneteenth”? That’s not even a word. Hey – let’s make up a word to showcase our ignorance! Yay!!

  5. BTW Junteenth was NOT the end of slavery, but the left and panderers seem of overlook that. Slavery as generally spoken of did NOT end until the ratification of the 13th amendment on Dec 6 1865. But you idiots keep talking about the fictional holiday your slappy Joe created…

  6. Pathetic, display of racial pandering. I would love to know if the performers or the memebers of the targeted audience understand what the alleged “holiday known as Juneteenth really means”.

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