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Jay-Z & Will Smith Join Production for 'Women of the Movement'

Thanks to ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke, a new production highlighting the civil rights movement is on the way!

Deadline broke the news that the network is developing Women of the Movement (tentative title). With the innovative mind of The Handmaid's Tale writer Marissa Jo Cerar, the lives of powerful women behind civil rights will finally get the spotlight. Jay- Z and Will Smith have also joined the dynamic production team driven by Burke's initiative to "return to the tentpole event limited series field it once ruled with hugely popular programs like the 1977 Roots," according to the news outlet.

Burke wants to shed more light on the impact females have had throughout those tumultuous times. The perfect inspiration for that goal was found in Devery S. Anderson's Emmett Till: The Murder That Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement and the story of Mamie Till, Emmett's mother. Following her son's senseless murder in 1955, Mamie took it upon herself to be a voice for equality. The first eight-episode season will spotlight her civil efforts starting with allowing Emmett's funeral to be open casket despite his disfigurements. The second season will pass on to Rosa Parks and so on.

Photo: Getty