March on Washington anniversary comes amid voting rights, affirmative action battles

ABC News spoke with organizers of the 60th Anniverasy of the March on Washington event,Rev. Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III. They both state that much work still needs to be done to achieve King's dream.

ABC Airing in ‘Juneteenth: Together We Triumph – A ‘Soul of a Nation’ Special Event’

“Good Morning America” co-anchor Michael Strahan sat down for a one-on-one interview with former President Barack Obama about race, resilience and Obama’s book “A Promised Land.” The interview will air in “Juneteenth: Together We Triumph – A ‘Soul of a Nation’ Special Event” on Friday, June 18 (9:01-11:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC. The special event is available the next day on demand and on Hulu.

In the interview, Obama tells Strahan the following: “We’re not all going to live in a perfect kumbaya society. But we can make it better by working and by reaching out and by assuming the best in each other. And if enough of us do that, we move that boulder up the hill.”

A collaboration between ABC News and ABC Entertainment, “Juneteenth: Together We Triumph – A ‘Soul of a Nation’ Special Event,” will present an enriching evening of celebration and resilience in observance of Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating when the enslaved persons in Texas learned of their freedom. Leslie Odom Jr. will guest host two hours of intimate storytelling and powerful tributes with performances by Jimmie Allen, Chloe Bailey (of Chloe x Halle), Leon Bridges and H.E.R.

This powerful special event will include the following stories by ABC News anchors and correspondents:

• Linsey Davis delves into allyship and the historic partnerships observed in the last year between the Black community and white neighbors in small towns and Black and Asian American religious leaders in urban areas. Davis explores the nuances of performative allyship versus genuine collaboration.
• Deborah Roberts opens up her own kitchen for an in-depth look into the origins, history and meaning of soul food. She looks at how the racial reckoning in the last year has influenced Black cuisine.
• Kenneth Moton travels south where the struggles and discrimination faced by Black farmers are front and center, and money earmarked in the stimulus package for this group may provide hope and relief.
• Janai Norman showcases a new wave of bold artists who are using their art to inspire change, spark difficult conversations, and ultimately provide a cultural lens.
• Steve Osunsami introduces viewers to a Black business that helped build the nation brick by brick for more than 100 years. He also spotlights how Black-owned businesses and the “Buy Black Movement” endured during a time of racial reckoning.
• Zachary Kiesch brings viewers more unaired footage of his “Soul of a Nation” interview with H.E.R.
• 
  

This is the second consecutive year ABC News is producing a special to honor the history and significance of the Juneteenth tradition. In 2020, ABC News’ primetime special “Juneteenth: A Celebration of Overcoming” was the No. 1 program across the board in its time slot. It is currently streaming on Hulu.

“Soul of a Nation” and its respective specials on the year after George Floyd’s murder and observance of Juneteenth are the latest original programming from ABC News, which has a renewed focus on telling diverse stories across the news division. Previous programming includes the aforementioned No. 1-rated “Juneteenth: A Celebration of Overcoming”; the three-day, division-wide series “Pandemic – A Nation Divided” on the disparity in race and class amid the pandemic; “America in Pain: What Comes Next?” on the protests and outrage across the country in response to the killing of George Floyd, police brutality and systemic racism against Black Americans; the month-long reporting series “Turning Point”; and the pre-election special “America’s Future: The Power of the Latino Vote.”

Kim Godwin to become president of ABC News

Disney has found the next president of ABC News.

Kimberly Godwin, the executive vice president of CBS News, is in the final stages of negotiations with Disney to become president of ABC News, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation.

Godwin, a 14-year veteran of CBS, would become the first Black woman to lead a broadcast news division. Godwin would report to Peter Rice, the chairman of Disney’s entertainment division who has been conducting a months-long search for his next news chief.

[SOURCE: YAHOO]

ABC NEWS ANNOUNCES RACHEL SCOTT HAS BEEN PROMOTED TO WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT

ABC News President James Goldston sent the following note to the news division announcing Rachel Scott has been promoted to White House Correspondent and D.C. Correspondent. See below for Goldston’s note to staff:

Team:

I am thrilled to announce that Rachel Scott has been promoted to White House Correspondent and D.C. Correspondent for ABC News.

Throughout the 2020 presidential campaign, Rachel has logged thousands of miles covering both the Democratic primary and President Trump’s re-election efforts. During the primaries, Rachel interviewed nearly every Democratic candidate, including in November when she sat down with Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for a joint network exclusive interview during Ocasio-Cortez’s first trip to Iowa ahead of the caucuses. Rachel has also been an essential part of our team covering the Trump administration, both at the White House and on the campaign trail, where she’s covered nearly every Trump rally this cycle. She also reported on Trump’s impeachment trial earlier year, including interviewing Vice President Mike Pence on the day of the final impeachment vote.

Beyond politics, Rachel has made her mark with compelling reporting from the frontlines of the biggest stories in recent memory. During the nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd, Rachel was with the protestors outside the White House near Lafayette Park, telling the stories of the movement and its new leaders. She also reported live from Tulsa’s historic Greenwood neighborhood during our Juneteenth special, then reported from outside the BOK Arena the following day during President Trump’s first campaign rally since the pandemic started. She reported extensively for ABC News Live on COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on diverse communities. She also reported for ABC News from Alabama in the aftermath of the state’s deadly tornadoes in 2019 and covered the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in Florida.

Rachel began her career at ABC News as a Production Associate for ABC News Live in 2016. While working full-time as a Producer for GMA Digital, she took on an additional role as an on-air Correspondent for ABC’s New Haven affiliate, covering weekend news in the region. Rachel moved down to DC in January 2019 as a Producer on our White House team, before becoming our Trump campaign embed and then transitioning to on-camera reporting full time. She is an exceptional reporter with an unwavering dedication to great journalism, keen ability to handle fast-breaking news and considerable skills for juggling multiple assignments.

It is a pivotal time in our nation’s capital. Our team in DC and at the White House will be essential to helping our audience understand the rapid pace of events in Washington as we navigate complex issues through this election year and beyond. Please join me in congratulating Rachel on her new role.  

James

ABC & ESPN to air President Obama Town Hall on Race and Policing

With the recent tragic events in Minneapolis, Baton Rouge and Dallas still fresh on the minds of Americans, President Obama is expected to participate in a Disney Media Networks town hall this week titled "The President and the People: A National Conversation."

The town hall will be moderated by "World News Tonight" anchor David Muir and held in Washington D.C. It will focus on candid discussions on race relations, justice, policing and equality by the members of the community. ESPN's Jemele Hill will join Muir.

The one-hour event will come just days after President Obama attended a Dallas memorial for five police officers shot dead last week by a sniper. It also comes after two black men were killed by officers in Louisiana and Minnesota -- controversial shootings that sparked a wave of protests.

"We turn on the TV or surf the internet, and we can watch positions harden and lines drawn and people retreat to their respective corners," Obama said today during the memorial. "We see all this, and it's hard not to think sometimes that the center won't hold. And that things might get worse. I understand. I understand how Americans are feeling. ... I'm here to say we must reject such despair. I'm here to insist that we are not as divided as we seem. And I know that because I know America."

The town hall is set to air Thursday at 8 p.m. ET and will be simulcast commercial-free on ABC, ESPN, Freeform, ABCNews.com, Freeform Digital, Watch ABC, Watch ESPN, Yahoo, ABC News’ Facebook page and YouTube channel as well as ABC Radio.