Juneteenth 2020: Why the Holiday Is as Important as Ever This Year

Chris Willman Music WriterApropos of nothing immediately apparent other than the national holiday, Kanye West took to social media Saturday night to announce that he is running for president… in 2020.“We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterParamount Pictures has scooped up the first feature film from director Lee Daniels in nearly a decade, “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.”Sold by Endeavor Content in an eight-figure deal out of Cannes’ big-spending virtual market, the project follows the dramatic true story of the Federal Department of Narcotics targeting the jazz legend with a sting operation.

Kerry Washington is speaking her mind about diversity in Hollywood, pointing out that while some great strides have been made there’s still plenty more that needs to be done.

The new film “Miss Juneteenth” was released on the 155th anniversary of the first Juneteenth, a holiday celebrating the delayed freedom of enslaved Black people in 1865.

Dave McNary Film ReporterSierra/Affinity is handling international sales of Lee Daniels’ “The United States Vs. Billie Holiday,” starring Andra Day as the iconic jazz singer, at the upcoming Cannes Virtual Market.The biopic focuses on Holiday being targeted by federal agents with an undercover sting operation aimed at prohibiting her from singing her controversial 1939 song, “Strange Fruit,” which protested the lynchings of Black Americans.

Mike Fleming Jr Co-Editor-in-Chief, FilmSierra/Affinity will handle international sales of The United States Vs. Billie Holliday, with Lee Daniels directing, producing, co-writing the script on the legendary jazz singer.

Beyonce surprise-dropped a new song titled Black Parade, co-written by her husband Jay Z, to mark the Juneteenth holiday. She released the song shortly after announcing a project by the same name to support black-owned small businesses.

Usher is using his platform to talk about the importance of Juneteenth, specifically, why it should be recognized as an official national holiday.June 19 commemorates the true ending of slavery in the United States. While Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation went into effect Jan.

Variety Staff Follow Us on TwitterVeteran R&B singer Usher has penned a powerful essay stating reasons why Juneteenth should be considered a national holiday. An excerpt is posted below; you can read it in full at the Washington Post.“The liberation Juneteenth commemorates is cause for celebration, but it also reminds us how equality can be delayed.

Miss Juneteenth, the stunning SXSW award-winning debut of writer-director Channing Godfrey Peoples that's out now. But the pageant culture that is the focus of her movie gives Black girls a hint of the American dream—a shiny spectacle, prohibitively expensive to enter, and life-changing for just a few winners, the Miss Juneteenth pageant offers a patina of respectability at a high cost.

Taylor Swift is calling for Juneteenth to be made a national holiday.

Rihanna is using her charitable organization, The Clara Lionel Foundation, to support mental health services amid the ongoing social unrest and the coronavirus pandemic in the USA. The songstress, in collaboration with Twitter’s Jack Dorsey, announced a USD 15 million donation to several organizations committed to mental health services, Daily Mail reported.

Taylor Swift has joined calls for Juneteenth, the date which marks the official end of slavery in the US, to be made a national holiday.

Dave McNary Film ReporterAndrea Riseborough, Jon Hamm, Nicholas Hoult, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Mackenzie Davis, Sofia Boutella and Steven Yuen are set to star in the science-fiction comedy “Alpha Gang.”The project is heading to next week’s Cannes market, with Protagonist Pictures handling international sales and CAA Media Finance shopping North American sales. Shooting will begin in 2021 in Eastern Europe.“Alpha Gang” centers on aliens sent on a mission to conquer Earth.