BET Networks celebrates the 50th anniversary of the history-making March on Washington with LIVE coverage starting Saturday, August 24 at 11 AM ET/ 8 AM PT. The two-hour anniversary special, “50: THE MARCH & THE MOVEMENT,” will honor the trailblazers who orchestrated one of the largest and most productive rallies for human rights in United States history. The bet News special will cover every angle with contributors reporting along the March route and complement the momentous occasion with exclusive interviews from political figures and renowned civil rights activists. “50: THE MARCH & THE MOVEMENT” airs LIVE Saturday, August 24 at 11 AM ET/ 8 AM PT on bet and CENTRIC.
Award-winning journalist Ed Gordon will anchor coverage of the anniversary march from the Newseum in Washington D.C., along with George Currie, Marc Lamont Hill, Keith Boykin and other special guests who will offer analysis and commentary on the day’s events. This discussion will be fueled with questions posted by our online audience on bet.com. Additionally, Gordon will bring together four civil rights icons and new generation leaders including Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), the last remaining speaker from the original march in 1963, Andrew Young, close friend of martin luther king, Jr., Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), who attended the march as a volunteer and Elder Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. Each of these guests will offer their reflections on the movement, examine the heaviest burdens saddling African American communities today and give their thoughts on how to re-energize younger generations. The bet News special will also chronicle the march in a vivid retrospective exploring its historical significance and the behind-the-scenes story of how the event was organized. Reported by bet correspondent Andre Showell, this segment will feature social activist Alexis McGill Johnson, Executive Director of American Values Institute and Julian Bond, a noted civil rights activist/historian.