In the wake of the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, as well as the nationwide protests on police violence against Black people, Nickelodeon is reviving Nick News for a one-hour special on race and unity intended to focus on the experiences of Black kids in America.

Titled Kids, Race and Unity: A Nick News Special, the special will feature special guests such as Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi; teen activist Marley Dias, 12-year-old singer and viral sensation Keedron Bryant, author Ibram X. Kendi, Jade Fuller, Nya Collins, Zee Thomas, Kennedy Green, Emma Rose Smith and Mikayla Smith, the Nashville teens who founded Teens4Equality; social media star Tabitha Brown and family therapist Dr. George James.

The network states:

The special will feature the leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement answering questions from real kids, offer tools for families to have constructive conversations about race and inclusivity, and highlight teen activists who are fighting racial injustice.  Kids, Race and Unity: A Nick News Special is the first of a series of Nick News specials that will air on Nickelodeon in the coming months.

In a statement, Keys says, “I’ve had a vision of a forum that can engage kids during this time and help to focus our attention on how they might be feeling, and this Nick News special is it!  Talking about race can be sensitive and uncomfortable; and sometimes we try to protect our children from racism they are already experiencing.  But honestly, there is no way around this topic if we want to move forward in any kind of meaningful way.  What’s happening in the world is not just a problem for the Black community, it’s all of our problem and we ALL have to care about it in order to change it!  This is such an important, vulnerable, honest and beautiful conversation, and I know many families may be searching for the right way to enter it.  Let’s really deep dive together.”

The original Nick News was hosted and written by Linda Ellerbee and ran from 1991 to 2016.

Kids, Race and Unity: A Nick News Special will air on June 29 at 7 p.m. It will be simulcast across Nickelodeon, TeenNick, and Nicktoons, and be available on Nickelodeon YouTube, Nick On Demand, the Nick App and the Nick Pluto TV channel following the premiere.

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Photo: Nick