June 19th is a symbolic day in history since it's the day U.S. Army ships forced Texas landowners to free the last of their slaves in 1865. This move is viewed as the last day of slavery in the United States and is now dubbed Juneteenth. In light of the day, Pharrell and Black-ish creator Kenya Barris have announced their collaboration in creating a musical about the Independence Day.
“For us, this project isn’t about numbers; it’s about humanity,” Kenya said. “Slavery is America’s recessive gene and it’s time we all dealt with it and what better way to have an audience swallow this dose of medicine than with amazing music and raw, honest, jaw-dropping comedy?”
Not many details have been shared about the plot, we do know that the musical will follow two families - one set in modern times while the other is set during the Civil War. Pharrell will compose the musical content under his I Am Other production company.
Kenya did have his hit ABC series discuss the topic briefly in season fours premiere - check it out below.
