Music superstars John Legend, Ed Sheeran, Bruce Springsteen and many more will perform at the "Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America" next month to draw attention to the recent issues of race and racial equality in the wake of the shooting at Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, S.C. in June.
A+E and iHeartMedia announced on Thursday their partnership to present the concert on Friday, Nov. 20 across all A+E Network channels including A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime, H2, Lifetime Movie Network and FYI as well as broadcast on iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on its digital platform. The concert will be recorded on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
The "Race in America" concert kicks of A+E Networks' campaign to confront issues of race, and promote unity and progress on racial equality, inspired by the response of the A.M.E. Church's (referred to as "Mother Emanuel") family members and others working for reconciliation and change around the country.
"The current racial situation in America is at a critical point," said executive producer Ken Ehrlich. "Today's musical artists, much like those of the civil rights movement's history, have strong feelings about what's going on today, and we're hopeful that 'Shining a Light' does, in fact, give a voice to their concerns, their hopes, and their thinking about solutions to the alarming events that we see around us every day."
The concert will also feature Zac Brown Band, Eric Church, Jamie Foxx, Rihannon Giddens, Tori Kelly, Miguel, Pink, Jill Scott, Ed Sheeran, Sia, Sting and Pharrell Williams. A special will immediately follow the performance and feature artists, including Legend and Williams, who are engaging residents in local communities like Charleston, Baltimore, Chicago and Ferguson that are at the center of the national conversation on racial inequality and violence.
Both the concert and ancillary programming will help raise money for the Fund for Progress on Race in America powered by United Way Worldwide. The fund will provide grant funding to individuals and organizations fostering understanding, eliminating bias, as well as provide support to A.M.E. Church and the broader A.M.E. denomination. The fund will also support efforts to address racism and bias through public policy change, individual innovation, and community mobilization.
"Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America" will air on Friday, Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. on A+E Networks.
