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Calling all graduates! Some of the biggest names in sports, music and entertainment are coming together to make sure that the class of 2020 gets the proper send off. Due to the coronavirus, many ceremonies have been canceled across the globe. The LeBron James Foundation, the XO Institute and the Entertainment Industry Foundation will host the #GraduateTogether special on Saturday, May 16. The hour-long ceremony will air on ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, TikTok, Facebook, Complex Networks, PEOPLE and YouTube. No student, teacher or support will be able to miss the special event.
Making the ceremony even more special are the guests. Students will have Bad Bunny , the Jonas Brothers, Lena Waithe, Pharrell Williams and more on hand to celebrate their scholastic accomplishments and offer words of encouragement for their future. “We learned early on in our work with students and families in Akron that education is so much more than academics. It’s about a shared experience, a journey we’re all on together—students, parents, educators, community members and everyone around them,” LeBron James said in a statement.
“With that not being possible right now, we’ve been working to find ways to help families get through this really difficult time.”He continued: “These students have worked incredibly hard for this and there’s no way we can let that go unrecognized. While this won’t be the graduation experience they were supposed to get, we hope we can still give them something special because they deserve it.”
In addition to #GraduateTogether, the class of 2020 will have more chances to celebrate the milestone occasion with more big names. On Saturday, May 2, Serena Williams , Steph Curry and Kevin Hart will be a part of the #ShowMeYourWalk celebration in partnership with Chase. The trio encourage those who would have taken the stage this year to send in videos of how they would have accepted their diploma.
As if it couldn’t get any bigger, Facebook has teamed up with Oprah and Miley Cyrus for an hour-long celebration that will air on May 15. Pitbull , Jimmy Fallon, John Legend , Sienna Miller and countless others will participate in iHeartRadio’s Commencement: Speeches for the Class of 2020 podcast. Viewers can listen starting May 15, ahead of National Graduation Day on May 17.