2020 Seniors Graduate in Style with Help from LeBron James, the Jonas Brothers and More
The coronavirus is here and everything is canceled. High school seniors in particular are getting the short end of the stick missing out on their one and only opportunity to graduate in front of their friends and families. But NBA star LeBron James is doing something to make it right.
The LeBron James Family Foundation is a nonprofit that advocates the importance of education. James and his foundation are spearheading a one hour television event honoring this year’s graduates. It will be called ‘Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020’.
The event will be broadcast on May 16 at 8:00 PM EST on NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox and on the streaming platforms Complex Networks, Facebook app, Instagram, People TV, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube. The superstar talent set to perform includes Bad Bunny, Charli D'Amelio, Dixie D'Amelio, Chika, YBN Cordae, Loren Gray, H.E.R., the Jonas Brothers, Brandan Bmike Odums, Ben Platt, Henry Platt, Jonah Platt, Megan Rapinoe, Yara Shahidi, Lena Waithe, Pharrell Williams, Malala Yousafzai and many more.
The foundation will be working with companies XQ Institute and the Entertainment Industry Foundation to present the show which will be paying tribute to over three million high school seniors who will be missing out on graduation. The event was announced yesterday, April 29. Here’s what James had to say in the announcement.
”We learned early on in our work with students and families in Akron that education is so much more than academics. 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. 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.”
In addition to featuring big name talent, the show will be curated by high school seniors and teachers from across the country. It will include commencement speeches, inspirational vignettes and breakaways highlighting the academic achievements of students in their communities.
Seniors everywhere are being encouraged to participate. If you are a senior who would like to be included in the show you can submit by posting videos, photos and senior pictures online with the hashtag #GraduateTogether.
The Graduate Together Event will be commercial free and will be produced by Done & Dusted and SpringHill Entertainment.
We are sorry that the Class of 2020 will not be graduating live but it is wonderful that steps are being taken to make it up to them. Congratulations to this year’s seniors!
