#Oprah Winfrey to host ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’ town hall

By Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone

Oprah Winfrey will lead a conversation with black thought leaders, activists and artists next week called “OWN Spotlight: Where Do We Go From Here?” Variety reports. The two-night special will air on the host’s OWN channel on June 9 and 10 at 9 p.m. ET and will also be simulcast across the network’s parent company Discovery’s 18 other networks.

The special comes in the wake of George Floyd’s killing by a Minneapolis police officer on May 25th and the ensuing protests against systemic racism and police brutality that have followed throughout the country since.

“I’ve been having private conversations with friends and thought leaders about what’s next and where we go from here,” Winfrey said in a statement via Variety. “I thought it would be both of interest and service to bring their ideas, concerns and comments into a national spotlight.”

Politician Stacey Abrams, journalist Charles M. Blow, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, filmmaker Ava DuVernay, professor and author Jennifer Eberhardt, journalist and founder of the “1619 Project” Nikole Hannah-Jones, historian and author Ibram Kendi, actor David Oyelowo, Color of Change founder Rashad Robinson and NAACP national board member Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II are among the guests who will participate in the conversation.