Whoopi Goldberg and Rosie O'Donnell will guest star in When We Rise, a seven-part miniseries for ABC, based in part on a memoir by activist Cleve Jones, executive produced by Gus Van Sant and Dustin Lance Black.
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Whoopi and Rosie join David Hyde Pierce and Denis O'Hare as guest stars on the series, which stars Mary-Louise Parker, Guy Pearce, Rachel Griffiths, Michael K. Williams, and Ivory Aquino.
Currently filming in Vancouver and San Francisco, When We Rise chronicles the personal and political struggles, set-backs, and triumphs of a diverse group of LGBT men and women who helped pioneer the gay rights movement, starting with the Stonewall Riots in 1969.
According to Deadline:
Williams will play African American Community Organizer Ken Jones. Aquino is transgender activist Cecilia Chung. Goldberg is Pat Norman, the first openly gay employee of the San Francisco Health Department, O'Donnell plays Del Martin, co-founder of the first Lesbian organization in the country, O'Hare is Jim Foster, openly gay Democratic party organizer, and Pierce will play Dr. Jones, Cleve's father.
When We Rise doesn't yet have an air date, but it sounds epic and ripe to get drowned in awards when it finally does make its way to ABC.
