Apple TV+ answers the question 'what is Juneteenth?' with two of its show makers

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Apple TV+ (Image credit: Bryan M. Wolfe / iMore)

What you need to know

  • Apple TV+ has released a new video on YouTube that discusses Juneteenth.
  • Lincoln's Dilemma and Swagger creators discuss the day and what it means.
  • Juneteenth is on June 19, with a public holiday held today, June 20.

As the United States celebrates Juneteenth with a public holiday, Apple TV+ has released a new video on YouTube that asks and answers an important question — what is Juneteenth?

In the video, which runs for almost eight minutes, we hear from two of the people behind a couple of Apple TV+ shows — Lincoln's Dilemma Co-Director + Executive Producer Jacqueline Olive and Swagger Creator + Executive Producer Reggie Rock Bythewood. The pair talk about how "the past flows through their work" throughout the video.

The history of Juneteenth is alive today. The makers of two Apple Originals, Lincoln's Dilemma Co-Director + Executive Producer Jacqueline Olive and Swagger Creator + Executive Producer Reggie Rock Bythewood, see the past flowing through their work. They sat down to talk about crafting authentic stories with complexity, reverence, and freedom.

In a single sentence, Juneteenth is a day that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, but that doesn't do it justice. Watch the video above to see how the day, and what it means, has such an impact on people today.

As for why these two people were chosen to discuss Juneteenth, Olive's work on Lincoln's Dilemma speaks for itself, with Apple TV+ saying that the four-part docuseries offers "a fresh exploration of President Lincoln and the complex journey to end slavery."

As for Bythewood, his Swagger series "explores the world of youth basketball, and the players, their families, and coaches who walk the fine line between dreams and ambition, and opportunism and corruption." The show is inspired by the experiences of NBA star Kevin Durant.

Apple also recently shared the story of an artist who uses an iPad to chronicle the faces of Juneteenth.

If you want to enjoy Apple TV+ in style, be sure to check out our list of the best Apple TV deals on the market today.

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Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
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Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.