Oprah To Host 2-Night Town Hall On Race

The Oprah Winfrey Show, which aired from 1986 to 2011, famously tackled race over the show’s 25-year history. Now, due to the protests over the police killing of George Floyd and countless others, Oprah is going back to her roots by hosting a two-night town hall on racism in America. 

The special is titled OWN Spotlight: Where Do We Go From Here? and will air June 9 and 10 on OWN. Additionally, the town hall will be “simulcast across all 18 of Discovery’s linear networks (including Discovery Channel, TLC, HGTV and Science Channel) and on OWN’s social channels, in addition to the company’s worldwide platforms,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Guests will include Stacey Abrams, Oscar nominee Ava DuVernay, New York Times writer Charles M. Blow, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, historian and author Ibram Kendi, actor David Oyelowo, Color of Change president Rashad Robinson and NAACP national board member Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II.

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Oprah said in a press release, “I’ve been having private conversations with friends and thought leaders about what’s next and where we go from here. I thought it would be of both interest and service to bring their ideas, concerns and comments into a national spotlight.”

George Floyd was killed on May 25 in Minneapolis after a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, 44, had his knee in the 46-year-old’s neck for more than seven minutes. Chauvin was fired from the Minneapolis Police Department and arrested on third-degree murder and manslaughter charges. On June 3, his charges were upgraded to second-degree murder by Attorney General Keith Ellison. 

Thomas Lane, 37, Tou Thao, 34,  and J. Alexander Kueng, 26, the three other officers who stood by and watched Floyd die, were finally arrested and charged with aiding and abetting murder on June 3.

BET has been covering every angle of George Floyd’s death in police custody, other social justice cases and the subsequent aftermath and protests. For our continuing coverage, click here.