NBC To Stream Virtual Discussion On The Realities Of Parenting Black Children in America

NBC News NOW will stream a virtual discussion with families from around the country on the realities of parenting Black children in America.

According to an NBC release, the event, called Growing Up Black: Families Confronting Racism, will be hosted by TODAY and MSNBC anchor, Craig Melvin. The event will be aired live on NBC News NOW, NBCNews.com, Peacock, and on NBC News’ Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube channels Monday, June 15 at 8 pm ET.

The special will include conversations with African American families and feature a special message from singer-songwriter Angie Stone. Melvin will moderate the discussion on racism together with other Black parents who are raising children of all ages.

The special will also focus on the conversations Black parents have had with their children concerning deaths of Black men and women by cops and how to talk and act around police when they are stopped, pulled over, or arrested.

Many have called for cities and states to defund the police in light of the protests sparked by the death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

The protests and subsequent push on social media have put a new light on the disastrous relationship between Black people in America and the police. The protests have led to many states changing police protocols and laws.

Nine members of the Minneapolis City Council pledged to defund and dismantle the city’s police department creating a veto-proof supermajority of the council’s 13 members.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order Friday repealing a law protecting police records from the public, a statewide ban on chokeholds, automatic appointment of a special prosecutor to cases of police killing unarmed civilians, and a law making race-based 911 calls a crime. Cuomo also said he is signing an executive order Friday that will withhold funds from police departments that do not enact reform.

Oprah Winfrey’s OWN Network hosted a two-night special earlier this week called OWN Spotlight: Where Do We Go From Here? The special featured voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms; National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) national board member, and others. The group discussed the protests, the changes that are being made as a result, and the next steps for the public and the police.