Photo: ABC News
On the anniversary of George Floyd’s death and the racial reckoning that swept the country, ABC News will air( tonight 10:00-11 p.m. EDT) a special edition of “Soul of a Nation,” which will reflect on the cataclysmic, generation-defining moment that inspired change around the world, chronicle the dramatic and epic events surrounding Floyd’s death, and spotlight where the country goes from this point forward.
Award-winning daytime talk show host Tamron Hall and “GMA3: What You Need to Know” co-anchor T.J. Holmes will host this one-hour special from Minneapolis and will be joined by ABC News chief justice correspondent Pierre Thomas, ABC News correspondent Janai Norman, “Nightline” co-anchor Byron Pitts and“The View” co-host Sunny Hostin.
The special will feature in-depth interviews with Floyd’s family, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, civil rights leader and founder and president of National Action Network Rev. Al Sharpton, Floyd’s pastor and Resurrection Houston Lead Pastor Patrick P.T. Ngwolo, actor Kendrick Sampson, and a performance of “Other Side” by singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc and from poet MacArthur ‘Genius’ Fellow Terrance Hayes.
“After Floyd: The Year that Shook the World – A Soul of a Nation Special” will air on Tuesday, May 25 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC. Episodes can also be viewed the next day on demand and on Hulu.
From the day that claimed Floyd’s life to the extraordinary protest movement that quickly swept the country to the racial reckoning that has touched nearly every corner of society, “After Floyd: The Year that Shook the World – A Soul of a Nation Special” reflects on the magnitude of the past year. The special includes interviews with Harvard Kennedy School professor of history, race and public policy Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, social justice leader and co-founder of Until Freedom Tamika D. Mallory, civil rights attorney and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong, and Minneapolis City Council member Jeremiah Ellison.
Holmes takes viewers to Houston and Minneapolis to meet those who knew “Big Floyd” best, examining how Floyd’s story ultimately intersected with a nation in crisis due to a deadly pandemic and pent-up pain and frustration around high-profile cases of police brutality. Revisiting the historic protests that drew unprecedented numbers of multiracial marchers, Thomas speaks with protestors who clashed with police in Washington, D.C., and a good Samaritan who housed over 70 protestors. He also revisits the extraordinary Floyd-inspired movement that spread across the globe with the Rev. Al Sharpton.
Taking a look at the sweeping cultural changes that reverberated from the protests—from the toppling of several Confederate monuments to sports teams being renamed to brands pulling racist imagery—Norman explores what a more inclusive memorial and public art landscape could look like with Elizabeth Alexander, president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and renowned visual and conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas. She also examines what changes schools are making post-Floyd to make their curriculums more inclusive and accurate.
Pitts takes a look at the ongoing federal police reform effort in Washington, the latest with the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021 and The BREATHE Act with its architect Gina Clayton-Johnson. He also embeds with the Newark Police Department to examine if the city could serve as a model for de-escalation reform.
Hostin returns to moderate an intimate and powerful “In the Kitchen” conversation on grief, resiliency and where America goes from here with mothers whose children have been killed by police, including Valerie Bell (Sean Bell), Lezley McSpadden (Michael Brown) and Michelle Kenney (Antwon Rose II). “After Floyd: The Year that Shook the World – A Soul of a Nation Special” is produced by ABC News. Eric Johnson is series executive producer. Melia Patria and Catherine McKenzie are co-executive producers. Marie Nelson is the series creator of “Soul of a Nation” and senior vice president of Integrated Content Strategy at ABC News.
