With many schools shut down across the country due to Coronavirus, LeBron James is putting together a special graduation ceremony for the Class of 2020.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the NBA star is partnering with the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) and Laurene Powell Jobs’ XQ Institute to host “Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020” for more than three million high school seniors across the country.
Yara Shahidi, H.E.R., YBN Cordae, Chika, Pharrell Williams, Ben Platt, Lena Waithe, Megan Rapinoe, The Jonas Brother, Bad Bunny, Malala Yousafzai, Loren Gray, Brandan Bmike Odums and more will join James for the virtual festivities.
“We learned early on in our work with students and families in Akron that education is so much more than academics,” James said Wednesday (April 29) in a statement. “It’s about a shared experience, a journey we’re all on together — students, parents, educators, community members, and everyone around them.”
“With that not being possible right now, we’ve been working to find ways to help families get through this really difficult time,” he continued. “These students have worked incredibly hard for this and there’s no way we can let that go unrecognized. While this won’t be the graduation experience they were supposed to get, we hope we can still give them something special because they deserve it.”
The one-hour graduation special is set to air on Saturday, May 16 at 8 pm ET on multiple networks such as ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC. The show will also be available for streaming on Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, PeopleTV and Complex Networks.
The event will also benefit kids, teens and their families in disadvantaged communities who have been most affected by the school closures. Students, families and educators are invited to use the hashtag #GraduateTogether to submit their own videos and photos for a chance to be included in the telecast.
Check out James’ post below.