This year, in
partnership with Michelle Obama’s
national, nonpartisan nonprofit organization, When We All Vote, The
Roots are launching the 13th Annual
Roots Picnic as a virtual broadcast experience on Saturday, June 27th, exclusively on YouTube. The
event is Executive Produced by Shawn
Gee (Live Nation Urban), Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tarik Trotter (Two One Five Entertainment) and Dan Parise (DPS).
Hosted by Questlove, Black
Thought and Michelle Obama, the picnic will be filled with
amazing performances by a diverse group of young highly popular hip hop,
R&B and gospel artists with the goal of engaging and reaching 500,000
eligible voters. When We All Vote volunteers will sign 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. In addition to music, this event
will include pre-recorded segments with musicians, athletes, social media
influencers, When We All Vote Co-Chairs and
The Roots sharing one simple call to action, register to vote. Fans can subscribe to The Roots Official YouTube
Channel and tune into the broadcast stream HERE: yt.be/music/rootspicnic.
Fans can anticipate
performances by The Roots, H.E.R., Lil Baby, Roddy Ricch, SZA, Kirk Franklin, Snoh Aalegra, Earthgang, G Herbo, Polo G,
D Nice and Musiq Soulchild (backed by The
Roots) and appearances by Michelle Obama, Lin Manuel Miranda, Chris Paul, Tom Hanks, Liza Koshy,
Kerry Washington, Tracee Ellis Ross, Janelle
Monáe,
and Elaine Welteroth.
“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. “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.”
“As we face one of the most
challenging years for our nation, we could all use a moment of inspiration and
light to help focus on what we can do to take action together – and that action
is voting. When We All Vote is on a mission to change the culture around voting
and we are committed to closing the age and race gap
of those who show up at the ballot box, increasing participation in each
and every election,” said When We All Vote Managing
Director of Communications and Culture Stephanie L. Young. “To change the culture means we have to be in
the culture, and iconic events like the The Roots
Picnic, a celebration of the most influential artists of today, is just that.”
The partnership comes
from a shared ethos of wanting to reach the most underrepresented community of
people when it comes to voting, black people between the ages of 21-35.
Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote and The Roots have a common goal, to educate
and inspire communities
to use their voices and vote to make a difference. Starting TODAY and continuing throughout
the broadcast, there will be a call to action to allow fans to register to vote
at https://weall.vote/rootspicnic or by
texting ROOTS to 56005.* Throughout the broadcast this will be available in
the form of a link in the live chat section allowing fans to register to vote
in real time while enjoying the show. Additionally,
When We All Vote volunteers will work throughout the day and during the show to
text and engage 500,000 eligible voters.
This year, with the
Picnic in Fairmount Park being postponed until 2021, The Roots are still eager
to engage their core audience both in the Philadelphia region and around the
world. Over the past 12 years, The Roots Picnic, which is co-produced with
Geoff Gordon and the Live Nation Philly team, has become the premiere event and
hub for culture for the core audience of Philadelphia and beyond. The picnic is
an event known to draw a diverse multicultural mix of Gen X millennial and Gen Z attendees, and is
curated and produced specifically with tier interests in mind.
*Text 56005 to receive periodic updates from When We All
Vote. Text HELP for help, STOP to end. Msg & Data rates may apply. Privacy policy.
About The Roots Picnic:
Over the past 12 years,
The Roots Picnic has become the premiere event and hub for culture for the core
audience in Philadelphia and beyond. The Picnic is an event that draws a
diverse multicultural mix of millennial and Gen Z attendees and is curated and produced
specifically with their interests in mind. The event has grown from 2,5000
people in a parking lot in downtown Philly to 40,000 people in Fairmount Park,
the largest urban park in the United States. Past performers on The Roots
Picnic include The Weeknd, Lil Uzi Vert, H.E.R., Pharrell, Lil Baby, Solange,
Janelle Monae and many others.
About Live Nation Urban:
Live Nation Urban (LNU)
is a partnership with Live Nation Entertainment, the world’s leading live
entertainment company. Specifically focusing on Hip-Hop, R&B and Gospel,
LNU builds platforms, events, and festivals globally and develops dynamic
content strategies based upon the live properties created. Live Nation Urban
considers itself the most powerful source for live urban music. For additional
information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com.
About When We All Vote:
When We All Vote is a
national, nonpartisan, non-profit launched by Co-Chair Michelle Obama in 2018
on a mission to change the culture around voting by brnging together citizens,
institutions, brands, and organizations to increase participation in every
election. They are also on a mission to close the race and age voting gap and
empower all eligible voters to cast their ballot by harnessing grassroots
energy, establishing strategic partnerships, and implementing digital
organizing strategies. Learn more here.
For more information, please contact:
The Roots/Live Nation Urban/Two One Five Entertainment:
Carleen Donovan, carleen@donovanpublicrelations.com
Chloe Snyder, chloe@donovanpublicrelations.com
When We All Vote:
Crystal Carson, crystal@whenweallvote.org
Ashlynn Profit, ashlynn@whenweallvote.org
The post The Roots Picnic 2020 Partners With Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote For Virtual Festival Experience appeared first on Live Nation Entertainment.