From the Paley Archive: Celebrating Juneteenth
Bennack Theater
The Paley Center for Media is proud to celebrate Juneteenth, the commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States, with a curated screening schedule of exemplary programs from the Paley Archive.
Monday, June 19, 2023
The Paley Center for Media also honors Juneteenth with a virtual tribute to those who have created some of the most unforgettable and authentic African American stories in television. Across the decades, the Paley Center has proudly celebrated and preserved the work of those who have helped define the African American experience in media: Directors like Ava DuVernay, show creators Lena Waithe (Twenties) and Mara Brock Akil (Girlfriends), newsmakers such as Soledad O’Brien, and stars like Tracee Ellis Ross, Meagan Good, Dulé Hill, Kofi Siriboe, and Jurnee Smolett. They are among many notable African American storytellers who have helped to shift cultural perceptions, defy stereotypes, and enlighten audiences.
Listen to these on-set experiences and shared wisdom from a selection of previous Paley events below.
Paley Front Row: The Wonder Years (2022)
Panelists: Saladin K. Patterson, Executive producer/Showrunner, with cast members Dulé Hill and Saycon Sengbloh; Moderator: Mekeisha Madden Toby, Staff Editor, TV Line
Paley Front Row: Queen Sugar (2021)
Panelists: Ava DuVernay, Creator; Dawn-Lyen Gardner; Kofi Siriboe; Rutina Wesley; Moderator: Michele Norris
PaleyFest LA: Lovecraft Country (2021)
Panelists: Misha Green, Executive Producer, Writer, and Developer; Jurnee Smollett; Michael Kenneth Williams; Aunjanue Ellis; Wunmi Mosaku; Jamie Chung; Abbey Lee; Moderator: Dominic Patten
PaleyImpact: Uncovering Racial Injustice with BET's Disrupt and Dismantle (2021)
Panelists: Soledad O'Brien, Award-winning Journalist, Producer, and Host of BET's documentary series Disrupt and Dismantle; Moderator: Scott Mills, BET President
PaleyLive: Running the Show with Lena Waithe (2020)
Panelists: Lena Waithe, Executive Producer/Creator/Writer, Boomerang and Twenties; Dime Davis, Coexecutive Producer/Director, Boomerang; Angeli Millan, Coexecutive Producer, Boomerang; Susan Fales-Hills, Executive Producer, Twenties
PaleyFest NY: Girlfriends (2020)
Panelists: Mara Brock Akil, Creator; Golden Brooks; Persia White; Tracee Ellis Ross; Jill Marie Jones; Reggie Hayes; Moderator: Joi-Marie McKenzie
Paley Front Row: BET: Tracy Oliver (2020)
Panelists: Tracy Oliver, Writer, Girls Trip, Creator, First Wives Club; Moderators: Actors Meagan Good and Grace Byers
Paley Front Row: Jingle Jangle (2020)
Panelists: David E. Talbert, Director and Writer; Lyn Sisson-Talbert, Producer; John Legend, Producer and Composer; Mike Jackson, Producer; Moderator: Tre’vell Anderson
PaleyFest Fall TV Previews: Peacock’s Wilmore (2020)
Panelists: Larry Wilmore, Host and Executive Producer, Wilmore; Moderator: Al Roker, Today
PaleyLive: They Run the Show: African-American Creators and Producers in Conversation (2018)
Panelists: Prentice Penny, Executive Producer/Showrunner, Insecure; Cheo Hodari Coker, Creator/Executive Producer/Showrunner, Luke Cage; Janine Sherman Barrois, Executive Producer, Claws; Justin Simien, Creator, Dear White People; Karin Gist, Executive Producer/Showrunner, Star; Courtney Kemp, Creator/Executive Producer/Showrunner, Power; Moderator: Nischelle Turner, Host, Entertainment Tonight
PaleyFest LA: black-ish (2016)
Panelists: Kenya Barris, Executive Producer/Creator; Jonathan Groff, Executive Producer/Director; and cast members Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Yara Shahidi, Marcus Scribner, Miles Brown, Marsai Martin, Jenifer Lewis, Jeff Meacham, and Peter Mackenzie; Moderator: Nischelle Turner, Host, Entertainment Tonight