In recognition of Juneteenth, HBO is offering the first season of Watchmen for free this weekend. The series will air exclusively on HBO.com and On Demand. HBO and HBO Latino will also air a marathon of the series beginning at 1 PM Eastern/ 10 am Pacific on Friday June 19.
Juneteenth is the oldest commemoration celebration of the end of slavery. The celebration originated in Galveston, Texas in 1865 in observance of the African American Emancipation Day. The official signing of the Emancipation Proclamation occurred on January 1, 1863. Union soldiers notified the state of Texas on June 19, 1865. Nearly all fifty states hold Juneteenth celebrations, a day that is also known as Freedom Day or Jubilee Day.
Watchmen made headlines for its portrayal of the Tulsa Race Massacre and the after effects of one family who survived. The Tulsa Race Massacre in Oklahoma happened on June 1, 1921 because of an alleged assault of a white woman. A mob of white residents looted the Greenwood District, also known as Black Wall Street. The white residents also attacked and killed black residents. The massacre left thirty-six dead, more than 800 people hospitalized and over 10,000 Black people were left homeless as a result. The attack lasted four days.
Watchman is set in an alternate history where masked vigilantes are treated as outlaws. The series stars Regina King, Jeremy Irons, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, Louis Gossett Jr., Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Andrew Howard, Hong Chau, Tom Mison, Frances Fisher, Jacob Ming-Trent, Sara Vickers, Dylan Schombing and James Wolk. Damon Lindelof executive produced the show.
HBO is offering other titles highlighting Black experience, voices and storytellers this month. Titles include Say Her Name: The Life & Death of Sandra Bland, Being Serena, Bessie, The Apollo, and more. HBO is also offering a look at series such as Insecure, Ballers, A Black Lady Sketch Show, Euphoria, True Detective season three and others.
Go to HBO.com for more information about these titles. Watch the Watchmen featurette below.
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(Image: HBO)
News Editor, Senior Contributor, and Press Editor. Coordinate breaking news, trailers and press releases. I also contribute reviews, recaps and interviews. Creator of the Indigenerd Wire, a column dedicated to the Indigenous creatives in pop culture.
GGA's resident Indigenerd, a little bit rez, a little bit classy...with a love for all things Star Wars, zombies, science fiction, and Indigenous. My ultimate goal is to start my own podcast.
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