Norfolk Southern Corporation to Serve as America's 400th Anniversary's Presenting Sponsor for Tavis Smiley's 'State of the Black Union 2007'

Norfolk Southern Corporation to Serve as America's 400th Anniversary's Presenting Sponsor for Tavis Smiley's 'State of the Black Union 2007'

WILLIAMSBURG, Va., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) will serve as Jamestown 2007's lead sponsor for Tavis Smiley Presents the State of the Black Union 2007, Feb. 10, in Hampton, Va.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051111/DCF015LOGO)

"The exchange of information and perspectives is a hallmark of vibrant communities and effective workplaces," said Wick Moorman, chief executive officer of the Norfolk-based FORTUNE 500 company. "On behalf of Norfolk Southern employees across the country, we are pleased to sponsor this important event of America's 400th Anniversary."

The convergence of three cultures during Jamestown's earliest years is a central theme of America's 400th Anniversary. The commemoration is being staged, in part, to emphasize the role of Africans and African Americans in America's development. The State of the Black Union brings together America's black thought leaders, educators, public policy makers, religious leaders and community organizers to examine the African-American Imprint on America.

Mr. Smiley's State of the Black Union is one of several events included in the commemoration's "African-American Imprint on America" programming. Another key supporter of the event is Wells Fargo, which is Tavis Smiley Present's title sponsor.

Norfolk Southern was the first corporation to become a major supporter of the commemoration, providing a significant boost to anniversary planning in 2004.

Jamestown 2007, a sub-agency of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, is coordinating efforts to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, Va., the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. The nation's first representative government, free enterprise system and culturally diverse society began at Jamestown. State, national, and international commemorative events to salute these legacies began in May 2006 and continue into 2008. Major corporate sponsors of America's 400th Anniversary include Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC), Verizon (NYSE:VZ) and The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Other supporters include Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. (NYSE:BUD), AirTran Airways (NYSE:AAI), Dominion, James City County, Philip Morris USA, SunTrust, TowneBank and Wolseley PLC/Ferguson Enterprises, Inc. Contributors include the City of Poquoson and Rutherfoord Insurance. More information about the commemoration is available at http://www.americas400thanniversary.com/.

Norfolk Southern Corporation is one of the nation's premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates approximately 21,000 route miles in 22 states, the District of Columbia and Ontario, Canada, serving every major container port in the eastern United States and providing superior connections to western rail carriers. NS operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is North America's largest rail carrier of metals and automotive products.

Tavis Smiley Presents is an event production company dedicated to bringing thought provoking discussions, engaging town hall meetings, and consumer expos to communities across the country. During the last seven years its programs have reached more than 200,000 conference attendees and attracted millions of television viewers nationwide. Tavis Smiley is the host of Tavis Smiley on PBS, a weeknight half-hour talk show and the host of The Tavis Smiley Show from PRI, a two-hour news and opinion program featuring provocative commentary and exclusive interviews. He's the author of nine books including the 2006 release, What I Know For Sure: My Story of Growing Up In America. He founded the Tavis Smiley Foundation to provide leadership training skills to youth ages 13 to 18. For more information, visit: http://www.tavistalks.com/.

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FCMN Contact:
Web site: http://www.Americas400thAnniversary.com
http://www.tavistalks.com

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051111/DCF015LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Jamestown 2007

CONTACT: Kevin Crossett of Jamestown 2007,
+1-757-253-4534, kevin.crossett@jyf.virginia.gov; Frank Brown of Norfolk
Southern Corporation, +1-757-629-2714, fsbrown@nscorp.com; or Vanesse Lloyd
Sgambati of The Literary, +1-215-877-2012, vlloydsgam@aol.com, for Tavis
Smiley

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