Evening to Raise Funds for Cancer Research on September 15th

WHO: The Studio 54-themed evening will feature unforgettable performances by legends Chaka Khan, Gloria Gaynor, Patti LaBelle, Nile Rodgers & Kathy Sledge, and Marti Gould Cummings. Host DJ Cassidy will keep guests dancing throughout the evening, which will also include appearances by Pat Cleveland, Nicky Hilton Rothschild, Star Jones, Beverly Johnson, Yovanna Ventura, Madison Headrick, Ethan Zohn and SiriusXM “Studio 54” hosts Marc Benecke and Myra Scheer, among others. DJ Kyle Kxtz will spin during a special preshow countdown.

WHAT: Hosted by songwriter Denise Rich and her daughters Daniella Rich Kilstock and Ilona Rich Schachter, the evening will honor the memory of Gabrielle Rich Aouad. We are in a new world and living a new way – but Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation for Cancer Research still needs to fund research the old way to help create the world that Gabrielle envisioned, where others would not suffer as she did. This event will fund the best and brightest early career scientists whose research focuses on finding less toxic treatments for patients with leukemia, lymphoma and other related blood cancers. Marc J. Leder serves as honorary chair for the evening.

Guests and supporters are invited to participate in a luxury online auction on CharityBuzz.com, which will launch on September 10th, to benefit Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation for Cancer Research. Throughout the evening guests will reminisce while viewing iconic images by legendary photographer, Dustin Pittman, who will also donate two prints from his Studio 54 archives to the auction.   Every guest will receive a VIP party box to help bring the disco theme to life at home!

Presenting sponsors for the evening include: Marc J. Leder, Sun Capital Partners Foundation; Denise Rich; Danielle Rich Kilstock and Ilona Rich Schachter.   SiriusXM’s Studio 54 Radio will serve as promotional partner for the event, providing a ticket giveaway to SiriusXM listeners, a free 3-month subscription offer to donors and more.  Studio 54 Radio’s, The Marc & Myra Show will also broadcast interviews and performances from the event.  The evening’s honorary chair is Marc J. Leder.

WHEN: Tuesday, September 15th, 2020

Program: 7:00 PM EST

WHERE: LIVE in your living room!

Login information will be shared with guests upon confirmation of attendance.

On a remote street in the outskirts of New Orleans, a botched entrapment leaves a police officer dead and an innocent man named Rayshawn (Stephan James) on the run. Rayshawn escapes a breathless pursuit and barricades himself in his home with his girlfriend (Jasmine Cephas Jones) and young son (Danny Boyd, Jr.).

Citing the senseless end of countless Black Lives, Rayshawn documents the ensuing standoff on social media, building a fleet of witnesses who share his desire for respect, accountability, and social justice. As the SWAT team encroaches and #FREERAYSHAWN trends, Rayshawn places his trust in Lt. Steven Poincy (Laurence Fishburne) to find the evidence that will exonerate him. Poincy works against time as both negotiator and lifeline, while perception and procedure block the path to the truth…

Starring: Laurence Fishburne, Stephan James, Danny Boyd, Jr., Skeet Ulrich, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Annabelle Gish, Ana Ortiz

Director: Seith Mann



Executive Producer: Antoine Fuqua

Writer: Marc Maurino


Produced by: Fuqua Films, Sony Pictures TV


# of Episodes: 15 Quibi

Instagram | Twitter | Facebook #FreeRayShawn @Quibi

NETWORK:        Urban Movie Channel 

DATE:                  Thursday, July 30th – Available to stream at any time after 12 pm ET

CAST:                  Mya Harrison (Mina Kennedy),  Gary Sturgis (Odell “Blue” Davis ),  Carl Anthony Payne II (Councilman Kendrick Davis),   Omar Gooding (Commander Robert

Kennedy ),  Reginald T. Dorsey (Police Chief Lewis ),  Carter Redwood (Ray Ray Kennedy ) and Chris O’Neal (Bam Stone) 

SEASON 2 SYNOPSIS:

As Blue and Mina await the birth of their first child together, the lovers are haunted by ghosts and relationships from their checkered pasts. Mina’s brother-in-law, Police Commander Robert Kennedy, is trying to mentally recover from the events of a failed operation that left his partner in a coma. Now under investigation by internal affairs, he turns to friend Councilman Kendrick Davis in a search for answers to solve the mysterious criminal world of the 5th Ward.  A new unseen threat follows Councilman Kendrick Davis as he tries to settle into family life.  His back is against the wall as his solving the mystery of this unforeseen foe proves to be literally life or death. The star-crossed lovers, Ray Ray Kennedy and Jazmine Tran, find both their families trying to keep them apart. Bam must deal with shocking changes to his life.

WHERE TO STREAM THE SHOW: 

UMC (www.UMC.tv) is the platform the show is streaming on. UMC is available everywhere you find streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.  On Xfinity go to “On Demand” and search for “Urban Movie Channel” under “networks” then search “5th Ward” on the site.

TRAILER 

https://youtu.be/z4pzxF8hLRs

SEASON 2 SOUNDTRACK:  

Available online via Conscious Minds Entertainment

DIRECTOR/SHOWRUNNER GREG CARTER’S QUOTES:

You created the show 5Th Ward. What was the genesis for it that started you developing it as a series?  Fifth Ward, the movie was my very first feature film and premiered at SXSW in 1998. The film was well received and later got picked up for cable television distribution, airing on BET Action PPV in 1999 then later being broadcast on Black Starz Encore. The movie eventually got U.S. home video release and was called Boyz in the Ghetto in France.    Around that time I wrote a treatment for one season of an dramatic series which would serve as a pre·quel to my first time effort.  I got busy doing other projects and it sat on my laptop for nearly twenty years until Bob Johnson and Sylvia George and the UMC family gave me the opportunity to make the Season 1 happen in 2017.  It’s funny because actress Junie Hoang played the teenage role of My Hahn in Fifth Ward the movie and now nearly twenty years later she play’s the role of Huong, My Hahn’s mother in 5th Ward the series.  Season one did great and the show was renewed for Season 2. 

What about the story lent itself to a TV series over a feature?  As I envision it each season of the show is one third of three trilogies. Each trilogy (three seasons) essentially tells the coming of age story of each of Mina’s sons, Ray Ray, James and Lil’ T.   So basically, I needed the time (nine seasons) to let each of my child actors grow up and come of age in real time.  The story of Mina and raising her three sons in Houston’s 5th Ward is somewhat based on my real mom, two brothers and myself. So as it is in my real family life, each boy is born four years apart. In fact, my oldest brother Mell, paints murals and portraits like the James character in the show. My youngest brother, Lee, is a rap artist and vocalist some what like the Ray Ray character and I followed the path to be a filmmaker and writer as the Lil’ T character eventually does.   So, again, I needed nine seasons to tell the full story as the Lil’ T character is actually telling it to the viewing audience.  A television series was the only practical choice.  

Music is important in 5Th Ward, from the powerful opening song to storylines revolving around rap careers and the use of both diegetic and non-diegetic music. Did you intend for the show to have music at its core and why, or was that a choice that evolved after securing talent like Mya, Carter Redwood, Chris O’Neal and Brittany Bullock aka Just Brittany?  

As the son of Methodist minister, I learned from my father’s sermons how powerful the ministry of music was to conveying his message during Sunday service. This is why I chose to write the back story of Mina, her children and parents to be woven in the lore of church music and thus meant casting triple threat (act/sing/dance) actors like Mya to pull off demanding lead roles like that of Mina. Dedicated actors like Carter Redwood and Chris O’Neal would both record songs for the show in the studio booth then come to work the next day on set, but for me music is even deeper.  Years ago, for poor black folks living in the segregated South, musical expression along with the combination of song, dance and other fine arts was often the only tool of self-expression and political activism.  This is why I believe music has the power heal mind, body and soul.  To that I challenged Charlie Mac, my music supervisor, and Scott Szabo, my composer, to write and find music that drives the narrative home in Season 1. Adding to that for Season 2, we’re planning great soundtrack album which is being produced by Brandon Franklin-Bey of Conscious Minds Records of Memphis and will be available on all platforms online upon release of the show.  

What do you think is the strongest element of the show?  Cast diversity and the audacity of faith.  There are 14 nationalities/cultures represented in 5th Ward’s main characters as well as six distinct spoken languages and four different religions. My characters in 5th Ward are like real people everywhere, right or wrong, they are the sum of the experiences and decisions that they’ve made during their lifetime.  But ultimately, as people, what we have in common is far greater than sum our racial, cultural or religious differences.  In that common humanity, we all basically want the same things.  To feel safe, be happy and loved and hopefully provide a better life for our children.   So whether it’s 5th Ward’s star-crossed lovers, Ray Ray, a good natured black kid who falls in love with Jazmine Tran, daughter of a conservative Vietnamese couple that owns the corner grocery store or to Latino gang leader Carlos as his rival black counterpart Seth, recognize that as in real life, these characters are the hero of their own story, doing what they think is best to defend what they love.  It’s one of the reasons I decided to integrate actual interviews with real people from Houston’s 5th Ward at the beginning and end of each episode.  You see, I never thought the story of 5th Ward was my story to tell alone, but others too.   

Most people live uncomfortably with the fact that secretly, they are a lifetime collection of contradictions, but I do feel that only through faith is it that our humanity can put life into perspective. We are all are part of something bigger, stories can break down walls and spiritually connect us all . 

When does season two drop on UMC.TV, and what’s in store for these Mina and the residents of 5th Ward?  I’ve had to really raise the stakes for all the main characters after Season 1, so expect lots of big twists and surprises. Hopefully you’ll be like… dang!  Why didn’t I see that coming?  This all of course is TOP SECRET! LOL.  

What advice do you wish you’d gotten earlier in your career?  Find a mentor, then find a mentee.  Just don’t allow your work to be critiqued by those that think and see the world the way you do. Although it’s tempting to surround yourself with people who love and admire your work, resist this. Early on in your career you don’t want to be the smartest or best in your peer group. You can’t grow that way.  Instead try to find a good mentor, hell even a bad mentor who’s career you’d like to follow or not follow.  This will help you “sharpen the saw” by learning to recognize the difference between a good choice and a bad choice.  Furthermore, having a mentee to teach or pass your knowledge on to will reinforce what you’ve learned. 

What is next for you?  Developing a romantic comedy and two Christmas scripts with producer Dominique Telson. I’m also acting as showrunner on “A Hip Hop Story” a new dramatic series for the Vyre Network.  I’m also 

What is your favorite part of creating a TV show?  Writing the treatment.  Okay that might sound a bit off, but as a showrunner for those brief moments in the creative process, where it’s just me and the characters in my head. Well maybe my flash cards too, but the possibilities are endless and there’s no creative pushback. I also love putting it all together in post with my editor Sean Henderson.  Yeah, editing is a definitely a close second. 

RIP John Lewis (1940 – 2020)

After their successful collaboration for the acclaimed four-part docuseries “Bobby Kennedy for President,” director Dawn Porter and producer Laura Michalchyshyn were eager to find another project to work on together. Amy Entelis and Courtney Sexton of CNN Films were searching for a team with which to collaborate to develop their team’s concept for a film about the life and legacy of legendary civil rights leader and legislator U.S. Rep. John R. Lewis (D-GA). Entelis and Sexton, production executives valued within the industry for their experience and skill producing documentaries, had recently executive produced the Academy Award-nominated, Emmy-winning feature RBG, about U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, another beloved public icon. (RBG was theatrical distributed by Magnolia Pictures and Participant). Entelis had also previously collaborated with Michalchyshyn for two CNN Original Series, HYPERLINK “https://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/category/cnn-u-s-tv/cnn-original-series/chicagoland/” Chicagoland and HYPERLINK “https://www.cnn.com/shows/death-row-stories” Death Row Stories.

“The biggest reason I got involved in this project is because of John Lewis himself,” Porter says. “He’s such a towering figure, and I knew that by partnering with CNN Films, I’d be able to explore not only his past, but his present as well, that we would also have access to the archival resources at CNN Worldwide. John Lewis has consistently delivered a message of doing your best, being honorable, and respecting others for the past 65+ years. I think it’s really needed at this particular moment in history.” Porter reached out to Michalchyshyn and their Trilogy Films began working on the documentary with CNN Films for a development concept.

Shortly after the team determined their development concept for John Lewis: Good Trouble, Porter received a call from filmmakers Erika Alexander and Ben Arnon of Color Farm Media. Alexander and Arnon were already in contact with Lewis’ office about making their own documentary about him. Aware that Porter had interviewed Lewis for both her award-winning 2013 film Gideon’s Army, and for the Bobby Kennedy series, the Color Farm duo reached out to Porter as a potential director for their project.

“When we got her on the phone Dawn said, ‘I need to tell you before we start our conversation that I have my own John Lewis project that I’m working on,’” recalls Arnon. “So, within about 20 seconds, we all realized it would make much more sense to collaborate on a film together. It turned out to be an easy transition right from the start, which was great.” Alexander also praised Porter saying, “Dawn Porter is one of the best documentary filmmakers of her generation. She’s incredibly kind, generous and smart. She’s also a natural-born storyteller. She and Laura have been making excellent films for a long time. Ben and I were thrilled to be making our first film with them. I grew up in Hollywood and as a black woman I was excited to be working alongside Dawn; a talented, strong black woman, who was not afraid to share her expertise and guide us, a young filmmaking team, into a very difficult process.”

Documenting Lewis’ life and work also fit perfectly into Color Farm Media’s mission. “We’re focused on bringing greater equity and inclusion to the media landscape, and our goal is to tell stories that are often overlooked, but deserve to be elevated,” Arnon notes. “So, making a film about John Lewis aligned very closely with our company’s mission.”

Like Porter, Arnon and Alexander saw John Lewis: Good Trouble as a chance to reveal the man behind the legend. “Erika and I have a long history of social activism, and John Lewis is a hero to both of us,” he adds. “But often in the past, whether on film or TV, he’s been depicted as a bit of a side figure in shows about Martin Luther King Jr. or other civil rights leaders. So, we felt it was time to bring Congressman Lewis front and center, because his story is so powerful, and he deserves that.” For Alexander, her path to producing the film was even more personal. “Destiny brought the Congressman and I together. I campaigned in Georgia with Congressman Lewis, Stacey Abrams and Ayanna Pressley in 2016. That’s like the dream team. Ayanna, Stacey and I had the privilege to travel around Georgia and learn from John Lewis, how to be young, gifted and black in American politics. Mr. Lewis was the perfect teacher and a patient host. He was also a gentleman, who opened our doors and helped us up the steps. It was heaven. I didn’t know then that that real world work, and access, would lead to making the congressman’s documentary.

“Dawn is an amazing documentarian who’s been heralded for the important work she’s done, including Spies of Mississippi (2014, PBS’ Independent Lens) and a film called Trapped (2016), about shutting down access to abortion and women’s reproductive rights in the South,” says Michalchyshyn. “She’s dedicated her career to giving voice to the voiceless, and I like to think of my job as an ally, fighting for her vision.”

Porter’s skills, both personal and creative, are evident in the final product, according to Arnon. “Dawn was able to build a really strong rapport with Congressman Lewis. He shares some great details of his life in the film, and that was because of the connection she established with him.” Alexander further praises Porter and in turn Congressman Lewis, “Dawn Porter directed this documentary and she brilliantly puts the spotlight squarely on Congressman John Lewis. Good Trouble is his show. This allows the audience to finally focus and learn about him. He, in turn, gets the opportunity to tell us about his life, in his own words. Now we get to know what it was like for him growing up a black sharecropper in Alabama in a large, loving family. We laugh at how he honed his fiery, oratorical skills, by preaching to the chickens. He tells us how he met Martin Luther King and began his work as a student activist with SNCC, traveling through Jim Crow south as a Freedom Rider. This all leads to the fateful day on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where white policemen stormed their peaceful march and cracked his skull open, nearly killing him. But John Lewis not only survived all of that, and more, he thrived and became a husband to his beautiful wife and political partner, Lillian Miles, a father to his son John Miles Lewis, and was elected the Congressman from Georgia who earned the respect of his red and blue state peers, who lovingly call him, “The conscience of the Congress.” In our documentary, Good Trouble, we get to see Congress John Robert Lewis tell that story. His story. And it’s a good story.

While Porter focused on the creative aspects of the film, Michalchyshyn says that her role consisted primarily of paving the way for the director, raising additional financing, and serving as a liaison between the various filmmaking partners. CNN Films is an executive producer of John Lewis: Good Trouble and retains North American broadcast rights for the documentary.

In addition to CNN Films, leading independent film financier AGC Studios came onboard before production began as one of the two cornerstone financiers of the film. As part of that investment AGC acquired the international rights to the film and served as executive producer for the film. In addition to CNN Films, AGC Studios, and Color Farm, additional partners that joined the project included theatrical distributors Magnolia Pictures and Participant, and executive producers TIME Studios.

ABOUT REP. JOHN R. LEWIS
“John Lewis…is a genuine American hero and moral leader who commands widespread respect in the chamber.” — Roll Call
Often called “one of the most courageous persons the Civil Rights Movement ever produced,” John Lewis has dedicated his life to protecting human rights, securing civil liberties, and building what he calls “The Beloved Community” in America. His dedication to the highest ethical standards and moral principles has won him the admiration of many of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the United States Congress.

He has been called “the conscience of the U.S. Congress,” and Roll Call magazine has said, “John Lewis…is a genuine American hero and moral leader who commands widespread respect in the chamber.”

He was born the son of sharecroppers on February 21, 1940, outside of Troy, Alabama. He grew up on his family’s farm and attended segregated public schools in Pike County, Alabama. As a young boy, he was inspired by the activism surrounding the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the words of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., which he heard on radio broadcasts. In those pivotal moments, he made a decision to become a part of the Civil Rights Movement. Ever since then, he has remained at the vanguard of progressive social movements and the human rights struggle in the United States.

As a student at Fisk University, John Lewis organized sit-in demonstrations at segregated lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1961, he volunteered to participate in the Freedom Rides, which challenged segregation at interstate bus terminals across the South. Lewis risked his life on those Rides many times by simply sitting in seats reserved for white patrons. He was also beaten severely by angry mobs and arrested by police for challenging the injustice of Jim Crow segregation in the South.

During the height of the Movement, from 1963 to 1966, Lewis was named Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which he helped form. SNCC was largely responsible for organizing student activism in the Movement, including sit-ins and other activities.
While still a young man, John Lewis became a nationally recognized leader. By 1963, he was dubbed one of the Big Six leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. At the age of 23, he was an architect of and a keynote speaker at the historic March on Washington in August 1963.

In 1964, John Lewis coordinated SNCC efforts to organize voter registration drives and community action programs during the Mississippi Freedom Summer. The following year, Lewis helped spearhead one of the most seminal moments of the Civil Rights Movement. Hosea Williams, another notable Civil Rights leader, and John Lewis led over 600 peaceful, orderly protestors across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama on March 7, 1965. They intended to march from Selma to Montgomery to demonstrate the need for voting rights in the state. The marchers were attacked by Alabama state troopers in a brutal confrontation that became known as “Bloody Sunday.” News broadcasts and photographs revealing the senseless cruelty of the segregated South helped hasten the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Despite more than 40 arrests, physical attacks and serious injuries, John Lewis remained a devoted advocate of the philosophy of nonviolence. After leaving SNCC in 1966, he continued his commitment to the Civil Rights Movement as Associate Director of the Field Foundation and his participation in the Southern Regional Council’s voter registration programs. Lewis went on to become the Director of the Voter Education Project (VEP). Under his leadership, the VEP transformed the nation’s political climate by adding nearly four million minorities to the voter rolls.

In 1977, John Lewis was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to direct more than 250,000 volunteers of ACTION, the federal volunteer agency.
In 1981, he was elected to the Atlanta City Council. While serving on the Council, he was an advocate for ethics in government and neighborhood preservation. He was elected to Congress in November 1986 and has served as U.S. Representative of Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District since then. He is Senior Chief Deputy Whip for the Democratic Party in leadership in the House, a member of the House Ways & Means Committee, and Chairman of its Subcommittee on Oversight.

John Lewis holds a B.A. in Religion and Philosophy from Fisk University, and he is a graduate of the American Baptist Theological Seminary, both in Nashville, Tennessee. He has been awarded over 50 honorary degrees from prestigious colleges and universities throughout the United States, including Harvard University, Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Duke University, Morehouse College, Clark-Atlanta University, Howard University, Brandeis University, Columbia University, Fisk University, and Troy State University.

John Lewis is the recipient of numerous awards from eminent national and international institutions, including the highest civilian honor granted by President Barack Obama, the Medal of Freedom, the Lincoln Medal from the historic Ford’s Theatre, the Golden Plate Award given by the Academy of Excellence, the Preservation Hero award given by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Capital Award of the National Council of La Raza, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Non-Violent Peace Prize, the President’s Medal of Georgetown University, the NAACP Spingarn Medal, the National Education Association Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Award, and the only John F. Kennedy “Profile in Courage Award” for Lifetime Achievement ever granted by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.

John Lewis is the co-author of the National Book Award winning and #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novel memoir trilogy MARCH, written with Andrew Aydin and illustrated by Nate Powell. The first volume, MARCH: Book One, received a 2014 American Library Association (ALA) Coretta Scott King Book Award Author Honor, an ALA Notable Children’s Book designation, was named one of YALSA’s 2014 Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens, and became the first graphic novel ever to receive a Robert F. Kennedy Book Award. MARCH: Book Two was released in 2015 and immediately became both a New York Times and Washington Post bestseller. MARCH: Book Two was awarded the comic industry’s highest honor, the Will Eisner Award, as well as two Harvey awards among other honors. MARCH: Book Three was released in 2016, debuted at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list, and became the first comics work to ever win the National Book Award. In January 2017, MARCH: Book Three made history again by winning four ALA Youth Media Awards, including the Printz Award, the Sibert Medal, the Coretta Scott King Author Book Award, and the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award, becoming the first book to ever win four Youth Media Awards in a single year and cementing the MARCH Trilogy’s place at the pinnacle of comics and young adult literature.
The MARCH trilogy has been adopted into the core curriculum of school systems across the country to teach the Civil Rights Movement to the next generation, and has been selected as a First-Year common reading text at colleges and universities such as Michigan State University, Georgia State University, Marquette University, University of Utah, Henderson State University, University of Illinois Springfield, Washburn University, and many others. He is also the author of Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change, written with Brenda Jones, and winner of the 2012 NAACP Image Award for Best Literary Work-Biography.

His biography, published in 1998, is entitled Walking With The Wind: A Memoir of the Movement. Written with Michael D’Orso, Walking With The Wind is a recipient of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award as well as the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award. He is also the subject of two other books written about his life: Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement, by Ann Bausum and John Lewis in the Lead, by Jim Haskins and Kathleen Benson, with illustrations by famous Georgia artist, Bennie Andrews.

REP. JOHN R. LEWIS TIMELINE

February 21, 1940
Born John Robert Lewis in Troy, AL

1960
Becomes one of the original 13 ‘Freedom Riders’

1961
Receives a B.A. from American Baptist Theological Seminary

1963
Becomes chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
August 28, 1963
Youngest speaker at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

1964
Mississippi ‘Freedom Summer’

July 2, 1964
Civil Rights Act signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson

March 7, 1965
Lewis and Rev. Hosea Williams (SCLC) lead 600 demonstrators in a march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma in an event now known as ‘Bloody Sunday’

August 6, 1965
Voting Rights Act signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson

1966
Lewis leaves SNCC to become Associate Director of the Field Foundation’s Southern Regional Council’s voter registration programs

1967
Receives a B.A. from Fisk University in Religion and Philosophy

December 31, 1967
John Lewis meets Lillian Miles

December 21, 1968
Marries Lillian Miles

April 1977
Loses U.S. Congressional race to Wyche Fowler in special election, becomes his chief advisor

1977
Appointed to associate director of ACTION, a national volunteer program, by President Jimmy Carter

1981
Elected to at-large seat for the Atlanta City Council

1986
Wins bitterly contested run-off election against Georgia State Rep. Julian Bond for U.S. Congressional seat

1999
Co-authors Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement with Michael D’Orso

March 7, 2004
John R. Lewis Monument, which commemorates ‘Bloody Sunday,’ is unveiled in Selma, AL

February 15, 2011
Receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom

2012
Co-authors Across That Bridge with Brenda Jones

December 31, 2012
Widowed

August 13, 2013
Publishes MARCH: Book One, the first in a series of graphically-illustrated books about the U.S. Civil Rights Movement

A new limited series starring Ethan Hawke as abolitionist John Brown, premieres on SHOWTIME® Sunday, October 4 at 9/8c.

Based on the National Book Award winning novel by bestselling author James McBride, the series is produced by Blumhouse Television, the studio behind the Golden Globe® Award winning and Critics’ Choice®, Writers Guild and Screen Actors Guild Award®nominated series The Loudest Voice.

THE GOOD LORD BIRD is told from the point of view of Onion (Joshua Caleb Johnson), a fictional enslaved boy who becomes a member of Brown’smotley family of abolitionist soldiers during BleedingKansas – a time when the state was a battleground between pro- and anti-slavery forces – and eventually finds himself participating in the famous1859 raid on the. U.S. Armory at Harpers Ferry. Brown’s raid failed to initiate the slave revolt he intended, but was an event that hastened the Civil War.

THE GOOD LORD BIRD weaves a humorous, dramatic and historical tapestry of Antebellum America, spotlighting the complicated and ever-changing racial, religious and gender roles that make up the American identity.

The series also stars Critics’ Choice winner and Screen Actors Guild Award nominee Ellar Coltrane (Boyhood), Nick Eversman (Wild), Beau Knapp (Seven Seconds), Mo Brings Plenty (Yellowstone), JackAlcott (Champaign ILL) and Hubert Point-Du Jour (Madam Secretary). And a roster of talented guest starsincluding Tony®Award winner Daveed Diggs (Hamilton) as abolitionist Frederick Douglass, Emmy® nominee David Morse (Escape atDannemora) as Dutch Henry Sherman, Steve Zahn (War of the Planet of the Apes) as Chase, Maya Hawke (Stranger Things)asAnnieBrown, WyattRussell (Lodge 49) as federal officer Jeb Stuart, Orlando Jones (American Gods) as The Rail Man, among others.

THE GOOD LORD BIRD is executive produced by Jason Blum, Ethan Hawke, Ryan Hawke, Mark Richard, Padraic McKinley, Jeremy Gold, Marci Wiseman, Albert Hughes, James McBride, Brian Taylor, Marshall Persinger and DavidSchiff.

FOR PLANNING PURPOSES

JULY 14, 2020

‘GET YOUR KNEE OFF OUR NECKS’ MARCH

Reverend Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III to convene the National Action Network (NAN), Attorney Benjamin Crump and the Families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner & others for a March on Washington in Protest of Police Brutality on August 28

Civil Rights Leaders, Labor, Clergy, Entertainers Amongst Thousands to March Alongside the Families of Police Brutality Victims

WASHINGTON, DC – On August 28, 2020, Reverend Al Sharpton, the National Action Network (NAN), Martin Luther King III, Attorney Benjamin Crump and families of police brutality victims, along with labor leaders, clergy, activists and civil rights advocates, will lead a Commitment March to fight for criminal justice reform in solidarity with those who have lost loved ones at the hands of the police. The march, under the rallying call ‘Get Your Knee Off Our Necks’ will coincide with the 57th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s March on Washington where he delivered his historic “I Have A Dream” speech in 1963.

Speakers will include the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner and others to address the senseless loss of Black lives at the hands of police and advocate for issues including police accountability and criminal justice reform, voter protection and more. Protesters and activists will gather at Lincoln Circle to hear the day’s programming before marching to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.

WHO:

Rev. Al Sharpton & National Action Network (NAN); Martin Luther King, III; Attorney Benjamin Crump; Families of George Floyd; Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner and more

WHAT:

The Commitment March: Get Your Knee Off Our Necks

WHEN:

August 28, 2020

Gather: 7:00am EST

Pre-Program: 8:00am – 11:00am EST

Program: 11:00am – 1:00pm EST

March: 1:00pm EST

Conclusion: 3:00pm EST

WHERE:

The Lincoln Memorial – Marchers will begin at the Lincoln Memorial and march to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. See route map below.

“This March on Washington shows our commitment to fighting for the oppressed, the marginalized, the neglected people of this country,” said Rev. Al Sharpton. “We are tired of the mistreatment and the violence that we, as Black Americans, have been subjected to for hundreds of years. Like those who marched before us, we are standing up and telling the police, telling lawmakers, telling the people and systems that have kept us down for years, ‘get your knee off our necks’.”

“We are in the midst of the largest civil and human rights movement in history. Now is the time and this is the generation that can realize the dream my father spoke of 57 years ago,” said Martin Luther King, III. “Black Americans are still bearing the same hardships my father worked to eradicate, and the only way we can hope to see the future he dreamt of is by continuing the peaceful and radical work he began years ago.”

Partners of the Commitment March include the NAACP; National Urban League; the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation; Legal Defense Fund (LDF); Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; The Leadership Conference; American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE); American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AMFSCE); American Federation of Teachers (AFT); Americans for Democratic Action (ADA); A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI); Brady; the Community Action Partnership; Hispanic Federation; One Union; League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC); PERIOD.; Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.; International Brotherhood of Teamsters; Dream Corps; Hip Hop Caucus; The Obsidian Collection; United Auto Workers (UAW); United Steel Workers (USW); and UnidosUS.

#NANMOW2020

Please note, to protect your health and the health of others, in compliance with COVID-19 Washington, DC Health Guidance for Conservation of Personal Protective Equipment, you are required to wear a PPE mask in public in Washington, DC. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges those participating in large gatherings to use face masks.

Map of March Route:

About National Action Network:

National Action Network is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the nation with chapters throughout the entire United States. Founded in 1991 by Reverend Al Sharpton, NAN works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, nationality or gender.

For more information go to www.nationalactionnetwork.net

Black and Blue – A Court TV Special Premieres Mon. June 22 at 8pm ET, To be Simulcast Across All Katz Networks

ATLANTA (June 18, 2020) – Court TV, the multi-platform network devoted to live, gavel-to-gavel coverage, in-depth legal reporting and expert analysis of the nation’s most important and compelling trials, announced today an original news special that will take a deep dive into the criminal justice system’s history and relationship with African Americans.

Black and Blue – A Court TV Special will air at 8:00 p.m. (ET) on Monday, June 22, and will also be simulcast across the entire portfolio of Katz networks Bounce, Court TV Mystery, Laff, and Grit.

Topics the hour-long special will explore include: An encompassing look at our current justice system that has seemingly empowered civilians to weaponize the police against African Americans; the rise in deadly interactions with unarmed black men and women in custody and what may be ingrained in the police psyche from a legal perspective that often leads them to wrongly target specific groups; how past segregation-era thinking gave way to controversial present-day laws such as the “Stand Your Ground” concept and more. High-profile cases involving Ahmaud Arbery, Michael Drejka, George Floyd, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, and others will be discussed.

Black and Blue – A Court TV Special will feature an insightful and thought-provoking discussion with Lawyer and former professional WWE wrestler and personality David Otunga; Marissa Alexander, the Florida mother-turned-activist whose Stand Your Ground warning shot case became a rallying cry for anti-racism movements and survivors of domestic violence; former federal prosecutor and author of Chokehold: Policing of Black Men David Paul Butler, who recently testified at the House Judiciary Committee hearing along with George Floyd’s brother and others on issues of racial profiling, police brutality and lost trust; the Dean and Chancellor’s Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine  L. Song Richardson and Tim Wise, an activist, and writer on the topic of race who has trained law enforcement officers, teachers, corporate and non-profit organizations in methods for addressing and dismantling racism in their institutions.

Court TV Crime and Justice Reporter Julia Jenae will host Black and Blue – A Court TV Special, with contributions by members of the network’s diverse team of anchors and correspondents that are both seasoned journalists and lawyers. 

About Court TV
Court TV is available to be seen on cable, over-the-air, and over-the-top. Court TV is also live-streamed on CourtTV.com, YouTube TV, and SiriusXM as well as the Court TV app for Roku®, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Android and Apple devices. All feature robust and exclusive content from the massive Court TV library, including the nation’s most compelling, high-profile cases over the past 20 years available on demand.  Court TV is part of Katz Networks, a division of The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP). 

Follow Bounce on social media:

Facebook: CourtTV
Twitter: @CourtTV
Instagram: @CourtTVNetwork

“BEAR WITNESS, TAKE ACTION” BRINGS TOGETHER CREATORS, ARTISTS, AND PUBLIC FIGURES TO SPEAK OUT, HEIGHTEN AWARENESS AND DEMAND ACTION TO PROTECT BLACK LIVES IN SUPPORT OF THE EQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE

PANELS WILL FEATURE ROXANE GAY, JEMELE HILL AND SOLEDAD O’BRIEN; MUSICAL PERFORMANCES FROM
JOHN LEGEND AND TREY SONGZ; YOUTUBE CREATORS AMBERS CLOSET, JOUELZY AND PRINCE EA; APPEARANCES BY CARMELO ANTHONY, STERLING K. BROWN AND BRYAN STEVENSON AND MORE

“BEAR WITNESS, TAKE ACTION” PREMIERES THIS SATURDAY, JUNE 13 ON THE YOUTUBE ORIGINALS CHANNEL

LOS ANGELES, CA, JUNE 11, 2020 — YouTube today announced “Bear Witness, Take Action,”a conversation aiming to unite and inspire the platform’s global community to take action for racial justice. Premiering Saturday, June 13 at 6:00pm ET / 3:00pm PT, the over 90-minute special will be hosted by Common and Keke Palmer and feature YouTube creators, artists, influential public figures and prominent activist voices. This is the first project from YouTube’s new $100M content fund, also announced today, which will be dedicated to amplifying Black voices on YouTube.