A+E Networks & IHeartMedia Partner On ‘Race In America’ Concert

A+E Networks is partnering with iHeartMedia on Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America, a 2-hour special to air at 8 PM on Friday, November 20. It will be recorded at LA’s Shrine Auditorium on November 18.

Sparked by the tragic shooting in Charleston, the concert will kick off A+E Networks’ campaign to confront issues of race, and promote unity and progress on racial equity, inspired by the response of the Mother Emanuel family members in Charleston and others working for reconciliation and change around the country, according to the announcement.

Performers so far include Zac Brown Band, Eric Church, Jamie Foxx, Rhiannon Giddens, Tori Kelly, John Legend, Miguel, Pink, Jill Scott, Ed Sheeran, Sia, Bruce Springsteen, Sting and Pharrell Williams. Additional performers will be announced in the coming weeks.

Immediately following the concert at 10 PM, A&E Network will air the one-hour special, Shining a Light: Conversations on Race in America, (working title) featuring artists engaging a diverse group of residents in local communities at the center of the national conversation on racial inequality and violence, including Charleston, Baltimore, Chicago and Ferguson.

“As a global media company, A+E Networks has the privilege of being invited into the homes of millions of Americans every day and believe that it is our responsibility to use this incredible platform to inform as well as entertain. By shining a light on the uncomfortable truth that racial inequity and bias still impact our society, we are looking to inspire people to go beyond short-lived, symbolic gestures,” said Nancy Dubuc, President & CEO of A+E Networks.

The two-hour special will air across the entire A+E Networks portfolio, including A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime, H2, LMN and FYI, as well as on iHeartMedia broadcast radio stations nationwide and the iHeartRadio digital platform.

The concert and the ancillary programming will help raise money for the Fund for Progress on Race in America powered by United Way Worldwide.