ABC’s ‘Soul of a Nation’ to showcase Black life with hosts Jemele Hill, Marsai Martin

'We’re excited to expand enterprising Black storytelling and the celebration of Black culture beyond the month of February'

Jared Alexander

Feb 11, 2021

Starting in March, ABC’s Soul of a Nation is set to showcase Black life in America and will feature Jemele Hill, Marsai Martin, and others as guest hosts.

It seems ABC is dedicated to continuing the conversation around Black life in America long after Black History Month ends. Launching in March, ABC’s Soul of a Nation will “touch on themes such as spirituality, Black joy and activism in sports, as well as the nation’s racial reckoning after the death of George Floyd.”

2019 ESSENCE Festival Presented By Coca-Cola - Ernest N. Morial Convention Center - Day 1 — NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JULY 05: Jemele Hill speaks at 2019 ESSENCE Festival Presented By Coca-Cola at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on July 05, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE)

The six-episode series is set to feature a wide pool of reporters, performers, activists, and scholars, as well as different guest hosts introducing each episode. So far, the guest hosts announced for the first two episodes of the series are Jemele Hill and Marsai Martin.

Many of the ABC News anchors and correspondents will also be contributing to the series. T.J. Holmes, Sunny Hostin, Janai Norman, Steve Osunsami, Byron Pitts, Deborah Roberts, and David Scott have been announced so far.

Co-executive producer Eric Johnson expressed his excitement in a statement, saying, “We’re excited to expand enterprising Black storytelling and the celebration of Black culture beyond the month of February…viewers of all backgrounds, regardless of race, will be moved, educated, and inspired by the broad range of stories and topics shared on this show.”

Marsai Martin thegrio.com — PASADENA, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 22: Marsai Martin attends the 51st NAACP Image Awards, Presented by BET, at Pasadena Civic Auditorium on February 22, 2020 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET)

Series creator Marie Nelson also released a statement, saying “ABC News is proud to partner with ABC Entertainment to host ‘Soul of a Nation,’ a primetime convening place for diverse audiences to call home…it’s 2021 and the demands of this time call upon the media community to grant Black viewers more opportunities to see their lives reflected in all of its complexity and to present all of our audience access points to gain understanding.”

Soul of a Nation is set to air Tuesday nights on ABC this March.

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