FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Teresa Candori
212-558-5362 | tcandori@nul.org
TV ONE SPECIAL“NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE PRESENTS: STATE OF BLACK AMERICA TOWN HALL” SPARKS NATIONAL CONVERSATION ON
RACIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE, PREMIERS WEDNESDAY, MAY 31 AT 8 P.M. ET
Moderated by News One’s Roland Martin, Historic TV Presentation Is Supported by AT&T, Bank of America, Eli Lilly and Company &Toyota
NEW YORK (May 22, 2017) -- For the first time in Urban League history, its annual State of Black America® report is the basis for a nationally-televised special.
Moderated by News One Now Host and Managing Editor Roland Martin, National Urban League Presents: State of Black America® Town Hall was produced in partnership with TV One and premieres on the network Wednesday, May 31 at 8 p.m. ET.
“Over the last four decades, The State of Black America®, has become one of the most highly-anticipated benchmarks and sources for thought leadership around racial equality in America across economics, employment, education, health, housing, criminal justice and civic participation,” National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial said. “Now, thanks to TV One and our other partners, we’re thrilled to be able to bring the conversation to a much wider audience and be the catalyst for a national conversation on issues of racial and economic justice.”
The Town Hall was taped during the National Urban League’s State of Black America Summit in Washington, D.C., earlier this month and includes panelists Georgetown University professor and author Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, political commentator and analyst Angela Rye, culture critic and journalist Touré, Democratic strategist Symone Sanders, journalist Jeff Johnson, political consultant Angela Sailor, and GOP strategist Paris Dennard.
The TV One special was produced with support from AT&T, Bank of America, Lilly and Toyota.
“AT&T has a long history of pushing the envelope on civil rights, social justice, fairness and equality,” said Claudia Jones, Senior Vice President, AT&T Public Affairs & Communications. “AT&T is proud of the work we've done with the National Urban League on initiatives like Project Ready. We want to remove barriers to academic success and help all students make their biggest dreams of achievement come true.”
“Our partnership with the National Urban League and investment in the 2017 SOBA Summit is part of our unwavering commitment to promote diversity and inclusion and help drive economic progress for all,” said Andrew Plepler, Environment, Social and Governance Executive, Bank of America.
Monique Hunt McWilliams, Chief Diversity Officer at Lilly, said, “Lilly is honored to support the important dialogue catalyzed by the State of Black America report and Town Hall. The company is deeply appreciative of the strong partnership with the National Urban League and its affiliates to improve the health of individuals and their communities.”
“At Toyota, our commitment to empowering communities extends far beyond our cars and trucks," said Anthony Chambers, Diversity Business Alignment Lead, Toyota Motor North America. "For us, the commitment aligns with our core values. Continuous improvement represents mobility for people - by access of programs and resources that promote economic growth, job creation and education. Through valued partners like the National Urban League and events like the State of Black America Empowerment Summit, we’re joining the mission of empowering lives, for those who need it most, and ultimately better lives for everyone."
The special features highlights from Urban League affiliates in Chicago, Houston, New Orleans, Miami and Atlanta.
Urban League Young Professionals and Guild chapters across the nation are sponsoring virtual watch parties on Facebook on May 31 at 8 p.m. Viewers can join the conversation by connecting via social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@NatUrbanLeague, @tvonetv) using the hashtag #StateOfBlackAmerica. For more information, please visit https://tvone.tv/SOBA.
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Video clips are available at the following links (credit: courtesy of TV One), and still photos are available upon request.
State of Black America® Marc Morial Intro
State of Black America® Housing Crisis Banking
State of Black America® Prison Reform
State of Black America® Final Thoughts
The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. Founded in 1910 and headquartered in New York City, the National Urban League spearheads the efforts of its local affiliates through the development of programs, public policy research and advocacy. Today, the National Urban League has 88 affiliates serving 300 communities, in 36 states and the District of Columbia, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than 2 million people nationwide.
Launched in January 2004, TV One serves 59 million households, offering a broad range of real-life and entertainment-focused original programming, classic series, movies and music designed to entertain and inform a diverse audience of adult black viewers. The network represents the best in black culture and entertainment with fan favorite shows Unsung, Rickey Smiley For Real, Fatal Attraction, The Manns and The NAACP Image Awards. In addition, TV One is the cable home of blockbuster drama Empire, and NewsOne Now, the only live daily news program dedicated to black viewers. In December 2008, the company launched TV One High Def, which now serves 14 million households. TV One is solely owned by Urban One, Inc., formerly known as Radio One, Inc. [NASDAQ: UONE and UONEK, www.urban1.com], the largest African-American owned multi-media company primarily targeting Black and urban audiences.
