The Rock hosting mega COVID-19 concert with Shakira, Usher and more

While many Canadian cities are in the beginning stages of re-opening after a full shutdown, the physically-distanced benefit concerts continue to be the way music fans will get their fix. Global Citizen has announced another celeb-heavy venture happening June 27 and hosted by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. This star-studded affair will not only raise funds for those affected by the novel coronavirus around the world, it will concentrate those efforts on marginalized populations which have been disproportionately impacted by the disease and subsequent economic hardships.The Saturday evening event, Unite for Our Future—The Concert, will feature performances by the likes of Shakira, Chloe X Halle, Jennifer Hudson, Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus. In addition to musicians, there will be appearances by Hollywood heavy-hitters like Chris Rock, Kerry Washington, Forest Whitaker, Hugh Jackman, Charlize Theron, Salma Hayek, Billy Porter, Ken Jeong, Olivia Colman and Antoni Porowski.

We’re excited to announce the #GlobalGoalUnite Concert, hosted by @therock! Tune in on June 27 for an event featuring artists, world leaders, scientists, and more — all uniting to ensure that everyone, everywhere has equal access to COVID-19 health care: https://t.co/xnqZwefdMM pic.twitter.com/Mm5iP2wVdx

— Global Citizen Canada (@GlblCtznCAN) June 22, 2020

Like the Lady Gaga-fronted One World: Together At Home concert that streamed in April, the telethon will offer an entertaining night for viewers while calling on celebrities and corporations to donate to the cause. This COVID benefit is taking its cue from the global focus on the Black Lives Matter movement and concentrating efforts on those communities most affected by both COVID-19 and the economic fallout from the lockdown. According to a press release, the Unite for Our Future event will "highlight the disproportionate impact COVID-19 has on marginalized communities—including people of colour, those living in extreme poverty and others facing discrimination."According to preliminary data collected by the Center for Disease Control in the United States, communities primarily made up of people of colour are seeing higher rates of coronavirus infection and death, mostly due to factors linked to living conditions, work circumstances and lower access to care. The bottom line is: systemic inequalities which affect nearly every aspect of life for these communities are exacerbated even further by a global pandemic.Circumstances are similar in Canada, though provinces have just recently begun investigating the collection of race-based coronavirus data. Media analysis of geographical COVID-19 data in comparison to city demographics in Toronto and Montreal show a clear correlation between predominantly Black neighbourhoods and higher infection numbers. A month of mainstream coverage of global Black Lives Matter and similar protests has served to bring these inequalities to the forefront.[video_embed id='1980820']RELATED: Anti-Black racism and COVID-19 are leaving some Black dads feeling isolated and overwhelmed [/video_embed]"Global Citizens around the world are calling for systemic change, change that brings about justice for everyone, everywhere, regardless of where they were born or the colour of their skin," said Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans in a press release. "If we are to end COVID-19 for all, we need our world leaders to commit the billions of dollars needed to develop and equitably deliver testing, treatments and vaccines."Prior to the concert, Global Citizen will air Global Goal: Unite for Our Future—The Summit on its social media platforms. The series of panel discussions will be moderated by journalists Katie Couric, Mallika Kapur, Morgan Radford, Isha Sesay and Keir Simmons and include input and commitments from experts like activist Brittany Packnett Cunningham, Melinda Gates, NAACP President Derrick Johnson, Executive Director of UN Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Kate Upton and Justin Verlander. Topics on the agenda include how to equitably distribute and administer COVID-19 testing, treatment and vaccines as well as how to rebuild communities devastated by the pandemic.Unite for Our Future—The Concert will air on major networks across the globe, including CTV and Crave, Saturday, June 27 and Global Goal: Unite for Our Future—The Summit will air prior to the concert on Global Citizen's social media platforms and website.[video_embed id='1979697']BEFORE YOU GO: ‘This Is Us’ teen star pens essay on being a young Black boy in Hollywood [/video_embed]