WASHINGTON, Aug. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- Today, the Newseum, in partnership with Comcast
NBCUniversal, unveiled "Voices of the Civil Rights Movement," a new
interactive kiosk that features stories and interviews with leaders
of the struggle for equal rights. The videos in the kiosk are part
of Comcast NBCUniversal's "His Dream, Our Stories" project, a
collection of historical narratives and firsthand accounts of the
civil rights movement from activists, participants, community
leaders, elected officials and others.
Included in the new hands-on kiosk are interviews with key
figures of the civil rights movement, including U.S. Rep.
John Lewis, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, former U.N. Ambassador
Andrew Young, the Rev. Dr.
Joseph E. Lowery, the Rev. Samuel
"Billy" Kyles and many more. Newseum visitors not only will
experience history through the eyes of those who were there, they
also will hear about key events and milestones through Comcast
NBCUniversal's collaboration with the Equal Justice Initiative — a
series of 52 vignettes called "Moments in Civil Rights History."
The series is narrated by the late civil rights activist Judge
D'Army Bailey.
"We're honored to partner with Comcast, a longtime supporter of
the Newseum, to preserve and present to the public these important
voices of history," said Jeffrey
Herbst, president and CEO of the Newseum. "The legacy of the
civil rights movement shows that through steadfast, peaceful
exercise of the freedoms granted by the First Amendment, change is
possible."
The kiosk is located at the entrance to "Make Some Noise:
Students and the Civil Rights Movement," a civil rights exhibit
that opened at the Newseum in 2013.
"Comcast and NBCUniversal created the 'His Dream, Our Stories'
project to chronicle the lives and experiences of those who fight
for equality for all people," said David L.
Cohen, senior executive vice president of Comcast
Corporation. "We're especially proud to have this compelling
content about the fight for civil rights become a dedicated part of
the Newseum during the 50th anniversary of the historic Voting
Rights Act."
The "Make Some Noise" exhibit features a section of the original
F.W. Woolworth lunch counter from
Greensboro, N.C., where in 1960
four African American college students launched the sit-in
movement, and a bronze casting of the Birmingham, Ala., jail cell door behind which
the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
penned his famous "Letter From Birmingham Jail" in 1963.
About the Newseum
The mission of the Newseum is
to champion the five freedoms of the First Amendment through
exhibits, public programs and education. One of the top attractions
in Washington, D.C., the dynamic,
engaging and interactive museum allows visitors to experience the
stories of yesterday and today through the eyes of the media while
celebrating the freedoms guaranteed to all Americans by the First
Amendment. The Newseum Institute serves as a forum for First
Amendment study, exploration and education. The Newseum is a
501(c)(3) public charity funded by generous individuals,
corporations and foundations, including the Freedom Forum. The
Freedom Forum, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit foundation,
conceived and built the Newseum, which first opened in Arlington,
Va., in 1997. Over the past 20 years, the Freedom Forum has
contributed more than $250 million to the Newseum, the largest
philanthropic gift ever made to support First Amendment freedoms.
For more information, visit newseum.org or follow us on Facebook
and Twitter.
About Comcast Corporation:
Comcast Corporation
(Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) is a global media and technology company
with two primary businesses, Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal.
Comcast Cable is the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet
and phone provider to residential customers under the XFINITY brand
and also provides these services to businesses. NBCUniversal
operates news, entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and
Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations,
television station groups, Universal Pictures and Universal Parks
and Resorts. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more
information.
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SOURCE Newseum