Keke Palmer, Common return to host YouTube Originals’ ‘Bear Witness, Take Action 2’
theGrio provides an exclusive first look at the trailer for the YouTube Original special after the company pledged to invest $100 million in Black content creation
The killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, combined with the infiltration of the coronavirus, ignited a powder keg of societal upheaval that Black America has scarcely seen in decades.
In June, YouTube Original premiered Bear Witness, Take Action a special forum that brought together the brightest and most consequential minds and figures of Black America to address the civil unrest that’s come to a head in the nation.
On Dec. 5, YouTube Originals will post another installment of the special, Bear Witness, Take Action 2: Continuing The Movement. Actress Keke Palmer and rapper Common are set to return as hosts.
Read More: YouTube Originals airs ‘HBCU Homecoming 2020: Meet Me On The Yard’
theGrio is giving an exclusive first look at its trailer:
As part of YouTube Original’s pledge to invest $100 million on Black content creation, Bear Witness, Take Action is, as guest Sterling K. Brown stated at its opening, “A nationwide gathering of creatives, activists, experts and celebrities using their powerful voices to raise awareness of this ongoing American tragedy.”
Since the first special aired, the social temperature of the nation only heightened, with more killings, more protests and more cases of COVID-19. And this was all while a Presidential Election was on the horizon, with Democratic candidate Joe Biden looking to defeat President Donald Trump.
READ MORE: YouTube Originals airs ‘Homecoming 2020: Meet Me On The Yard’
For more than an hour and 30 minutes, Palmer and Common hosted a collection of thematic roundtables, taped testimonials and performances. TV hosts Soledad O’Brien and Roland Martin each moderated multiple panel discussions, each including a collective of content creators, activists and experts.
O’Brien’s panels dealt with the problem of policing in Black communities with a roundtable that included Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza. She also moderated a panel on how much technology has been incorporated within the social justice movement.
Martin led panels on the weaponization of white privilege, and the habitual killings of unarmed Black men and women in America, past and present. Joining Martin in the conversation were people like New York Times writer/editor Roxanne Gay and Princeton professor Eddie S. Glaude Jr.
In between the numerous roundtables were musical performances, including from singer Trey Songz, who performed his gospel-infused protest song “2020 Riot: How Many More,” while accompanied by a band and choir. Another came from singer-songwriter Brittany Howard, who was joined by her band in a recording studio who performed her raucous anthem of love and unity, “13th Century Metal.”
Closing out the June special was a panel that focused on future plans for fostering equality and change, moderated by journalist Jemele Hill, and included activist Kimberly Jones.
Bear Witness, Take Action is a continuation of the programming that’s part of the #YouTubeBlack Voices fund that’s dedicated to investing in more content creation that is made by Black content creators, and/or focuses on issues that enlighten or uplift Black art, culture and trials.
The special is produced by the SpringHill Company, Fly On The Wall Entertainment, and Byron Phillips. Reginald Hudlin serves as Executive Producer and Showrunner.
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