The Roots’ annual Roots Picnic is going virtual this year, and the group is teaming up with First Lady Michelle Obama’s nonpartisan nonprofit When We All Vote for the event.
The June 27 show–executive produced by Shawn Gee (Live Nation Urban), the Roots’ Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq Trotter (Two One Five Entertainment) and Dan Parise (DPS)–will be hosted by Quest, Black Thought and Obama, with sets from The Roots, H.E.R., Roddy Ricch, Lil Baby, SZA, Kirk Franklin, Snoh Aalegra, Earthgang, G Herbo, Polo G, D Nice and Musiq Soulchild (backed by The Roots).
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Chris Paul, Tom Hanks, Liza Koshy, Kerry Washington, Tracee Ellis Ross, Janelle Monáe, and Elaine Welteroth will also make appearances.
The event’s goal is to engage and reach 500,000 eligible voters, with When We All Vote volunteers signing up to text voters throughout the show through Outvote, a web and mobile organizing platform used to reach unregistered voters. Volunteers can sign-up to learn how to reach voters before the event here.
“Historically, Questlove & Black Thought have always been very active participants in the voting process, however I felt that it was imperative that this year I open up both The Roots and my Live Nation Urban platforms as vehicles for both voter education and voter registration,” said Shawn Gee, The Roots manager and President of Live Nation Urban in a statement. “Our goal is to aggressively impact change and we’re going to have some fun while doing so. This year, we are incredibly proud to partner with Mrs. Obama’s When We All Vote to ensure our audience has the resources they need to register and vote in November’s election.”
To catch the event, tune in here (and below) at 8 p.m. EST on June 27.
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