WATCH: Nicki Minaj, John Legend and Others Perform for Tonight’s ‘Shining A Light’ TV Special

By Sameer Rao Nov 20, 2015

Spurred by the Charleston massacre and the deaths of several African Americans at the hands of police, superstar musicians from all genres joined forces with A&E for a concert special that explores the impact of the past year of racist violence and racial justice activism. 

"Shining A Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America" features performances of songs and poems from throughout the 20th and 21st centuries that evoke both anguish and hope. The two-hour special, shot primarily at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium, also features several performers talking to activists and community members at the heart of racial justice struggles in Ferguson and Baltimore. It also features a fundraiser, with all money collected going to the Fund for Progress on Race in America. 

The special will air tonight on A&E, History, Lifetime, FYI, LMN, and H2 at 8 p.m. EST. A&E made a few performances and conversations from the Wednesday night taping available on YouTube. Check out a few of them—Nicki Minaj reading Maya Angelou’s "Still I Rise," John Legend performing "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and Alicia Keys singing Donny Hathaway’s "Someday We’ll All Be Free"—in the videos below. 

(H/t Rolling Stone, The Fader