The "Great Debate II" is a collaborative effort by the Council of the District of Columbia, the Office of Cable Television and Centric, a subsidiary of Black Entertainment Television (BET). The "Great Debate II" pays homage to the seven debates in 1858 between Republican Senate nominee Abraham Lincoln and Democratic Senate nominee Stephen Douglass over issues concerning an America in flux, notably slavery.

The "Great Debate II" returns to the Lincoln Theatre and will follow the same format as last year's "Great Debate", with four panelists, two representing the liberal point of view and two representing the conservative point of view. The panelists will espouse their opinions and expertise on such matters as the economy, unemployment, healthcare, education, and gun control.

Emmy-award winning broadcaster Ed Gordon will serve as moderator for the "Great Debate II". He is an industry veteran known for his stellar interaction with newsmakers from the world of politics, entertainment and sports. Ed Gordon is currently the host of BET's "Weekly with Ed Gordon".

The panelists for this year's event will be civil rights activist and MSNBC host Rev. Al Sharpton, author and Republican politician Star Parker, author and political commentator Julianne Malveaux, and National Spokesperson for the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and MSNBC contributor Niger Innis.

This year's program will be streamed live on OCT.gov and Centrictv.com.  The debate will also air on Centric at a later date.