Tavis Smiley Brings The State of the Black Union to Millions of Viewers as a Signature Event of America's 400th Anniversary

Tavis Smiley Brings The State of the Black Union to Millions of Viewers as a Signature Event of America's 400th Anniversary

America's Thought Leaders Explore the African-American Imprint on America

WILLIAMSBURG, Va., Feb. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- PBS television host Tavis Smiley took 36 of America's thought leaders, 10,000 on-site participants, and a television audience of millions on a journey that changed the world last weekend. The event aired live on C-SPAN and will be rebroadcast Feb. 22 and 23 at 5 p.m. EST.

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In honor of America's 400th Anniversary -- a year-long commemoration of the 1607 founding of Jamestown, Va., as the nation's first permanent English settlement and the arrival of the first Africans in America -- Smiley held his annual State of the Black Union in Hampton, Va. Together with Smiley and co- host Tom Joyner, a 36-member panel that included Angela Glover Blackwell, Cornel West, the Rev. Dr. Otis Moss Sr., Cathy Hughes, Bruce Gordon, Michel Martin, Tim Reid and the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, explored the impact of African Americans on western culture and discussed current issues of importance to the African-American community.

The series, which included a cross cultural retrospective of the Jamestown settlement and The State of the Black Union, helped Americans of culturally diverse backgrounds reconnect with their history. It also explored the true role of African Americans during the past 400 years and outlined a plan of action for the next 400.

"The arrival of the first documented Africans at Jamestown marked the start of America's culturally diverse heritage, a defining legacy that dates back nearly 400 years to America's first permanent English settlement," said Belinda Anderson, president of Virginia Union University and co-chair of the African-American Advisory Council. "The State of the Black Union played an important part in highlighting the importance of African culture in the Jamestown story and the growth of our nation. It helped all Americans better understand that Jamestown was where our culturally diverse society first began taking shape."

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/.

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Source: Jamestown 2007

CONTACT: Kevin Crossett of Jamestown 2007, +1-757-253-4534,
kevin.crossett@jyf.virginia.gov; or Robin Crawford, +1-202-974-5025,
crawfordr@ruderfinn.com, for Jamestown 2007

Web site: http://www.americas400thanniversary.com/

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