BET to Address ‘Race and Justice’ in Town Hall Featuring Cory Booker, Kamala Harris

BET is set to air a special this weekend hosted by Soledad O’Brien on criminal justice reform titled American Injustice: A BET Town Hall.

The one-hour broadcast will explore what BET describes as “the stark racial disparities that plague America’s criminal justice system and offers solutions.”

O’Brien will be joined by 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, Sens. Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, along with members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), and Rep. Val Demings (D-FL).

The group will discuss the millions of Americans currently in the correctional system and the nation’s mass incarceration crisis before a live studio audience.

“We are taking this on in a way no other brand and network can. We look forward to taking the conversation beyond our screens and into action as we work towards addressing and telling the untold stories of transgressions to Black Americans,” Scott Mills, president of BET Networks, said in a statement.

On Dec. 21, 2018, President Trump signed into law the “First Step Act” aimed at reforming some of the sentencing disparities in the nation’s criminal justice system, and expanding rehabilitative opportunities for federal prisoners. BET described the bill as a step in the right direction, but said there is more work to be done.

American Injustice: A BET Town Hall airs Sunday, March 24 at 9:00 PM ET/PT on BET.