A night for grads: LeBron James, Barack Obama and more celebrate the class of 2020

Celebrities, activists and athletes are honoring millions of students who cannot attend their graduation ceremonies because of the coronavirus crisis.

Nicole Chavez, CNN

(CNN) — It’s your night, class of 2020.

Celebrities, activists and athletes are honoring millions of students who cannot attend their graduation ceremonies because of the coronavirus crisis.

Former President Barack Obama will deliver a commencement address, the Jonas Brothers will perform their new song with Karol G and Hollywood actor Gal Gadot will share a message.

“Graduating is a big achievement no matter what, but with all that the Class of 2020 has dealt with to get across the finish line, I think they’ve earned a little celebration,” Obama tweeted earlier on Saturday.

The massive virtual graduation ceremony will be split into two events.

The first is CNN’s “Class of 2020: In This Together” with appearances from Gadot, actor Keegan-Michael Key, Foster The People and former US President Bill Clinton.

Followed by “Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020,” hosted by The LeBron James Family Foundation, The Entertainment Industry Foundation and XQ Institute.

The usual stage walks and cap tosses have been put on hold, but NBA star LeBron James said graduates and their families are up for a memorable night.

“Tonight is going to be extremely special! Big S/O to all of class of 2020! Love you guys,” James tweeted ahead of the event.

Malala Yousafzai, the Jonas Brothers, Yara Shahidi, H.E.R., Bad Bunny, Pharrell Williams, Lena Waithe and Megan Rapinoe are all slated to make appearances during the second event — something that may not have been possible in a typical graduation.

“These students have worked incredibly hard for this, and there’s no way we can let that go unrecognized,” James said in a statement earlier this month. “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.”

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