Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020 is an American television special that was simulcasted on the major television networks and online on May 16, 2020. Created by the XQ Institute, the LeBron James Family Foundation, and the Entertainment Industry Foundation, the special was curated by basketball player LeBron James in collaboration with high school students and educators across the United States, including the American Federation of Teachers. The broadcast included a variety of commencement addresses, celebrity performances and inspirational vignettes aimed at high school students, whose graduation ceremonies and proms were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, due to it causing the closure of most schools worldwide.
Appearances
LeBron James, host Zendaya, actress Kevin Hart, actor Yara Shahidi, actress Kane Brown & Maren Morris, singer Timothée Chalamet, actor Rodney Robinson, educator Megan Rapinoe, athlete Bad Bunny, singer Jwalt, rapper Kumail Nanjiani, actor (via Animal Crossing) Olivia Wilde, actor Malala Yousafzai, activist Lena Waithe, screenwriter Julianne Moore, actress Shaquille O'Neal, athlete Chris Harrison, television personality Dave Matthews, musician Loren Gray, singer The Dolan Twins, internet personalities Lana Condor, actress Liza Koshy, actress Pharrell Williams, singer Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States
Students
Name School LocationRole Priscilla Arceo Santa Ana High School Orange County, California Justin "Jwalt" Walton Oakland School for the Arts Oakland, California Ervin Odom Akron Early College High School Akron, Ohio Shelbie Rash Skyline High School Mesa, Arizona Jordan Lewis Washington High School Phoenix, Arizona Halah Berglin Williams Field High School Gilbert, Arizona Kayla Diaz Franklin High School Johnny Corte Saguaro High School Scottsdale, Arizona Mason Whitaker Ironwood Ridge High School Oro Valley, Arizona Parker Fowler Greenway High School Phoenix, Arizona Morgann Kelly Desert Vista High School Lauren Grimm Thunderbird High School Caleb Fearing Mojave High School North Las Vegas, Nevada Christian Johnson Ron Brown College Preparatory High School Washington, D.C.Morgan SchraggerHopewell Valley Central High SchoolPennington, New JerseyIntroducing H.E.R.Sydney GuineLos Angeles County High School for the ArtsLos Angeles, CaliforniaEliza AndrusOcean Township High SchoolOakhurst, New JerseyIntroducing the Graduation Medley by Henry, Jonah, and Ben Platt Ian Coursey Our Lady of Good Counsel High School Olney, MarylandEmily LiangOakland High SchoolOakland, CaliforniaIntroducing YBN CordaeJordan OrionEarly College High SchoolKilleen, TexasAniyah FisherKenwood Academy High SchoolChicago, IllinoisIntroducing the commencement by Barack Obama
Performances Artist(s) Song(s) Students of the Class of 2020 "Star-Spangled Banner" Dua Lipa "Break My Heart" Ben PlattHenry PlattJonah Platt Graduation Medley"Memories" / "Graduation (Friends Forever)" "In My Life""See You Again""Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" Alicia Keys "Underdog" ChikaBrandan "Bmike" Odums "Crown" H.E.R. "Sometimes" YBN Cordae "Broke as F**k" Jonas BrothersKarol G "X"
Broadcast The special was simulcasted on May 16, 2020, at 8pm EST on the major U.S. broadcast television networks ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC, except PBS due to flex programming on member stations over most of their schedules and broadcast times for network shows may vary. It was also simulcasted on television networks California Music Channel and The CW, on Spanish-language network Univision, and on cable networks CNN, Fox Business, Fox News, Freeform, and MSNBC. It was also available for streaming in platforms such as ABC News Live, Associated Press, Bleacher Report, Complex Networks, Facebook, FoxNow, Hulu, Instagram, NBC News Now, NowThis News, PeopleTV, The Roku Channel, Roland Martin Unfiltered, Reuters, SiriusXM, Snapchat, TikTok, USO, The Washington Post, and YouTube.
Viewership
United States Network Viewers ABC 2.233 NBC 2.203 MSNBC 2.003 CNN 1.879 CBS 1.836 FNC 0.977 Fox 0.659 The CW 0.367 Freeform 0.211
Broadcast network
Cable network
Total Viewership = 14.674
References
External links