(2 November 2015, Singapore) – A+E Networks’® “Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America” is going international, rolling out November 21-December 15 on Lifetime® and A&E Network® across 135+ territories. The concert will be recorded at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, November 18th. Inspired by the response of the Mother Emanuel family members in Charleston, South Carolina, where nine people were killed by a gunman acting out of racial prejudice, the concert will kick off A+E Networks’ worldwide campaign to confront issues of race, and promote unity and progress on racial equity.
The biggest names in music, including Zac Brown Band, Eric Church, Jamie Foxx, Rhiannon Giddens, Tori Kelly, John Legend, Miguel, Pink, Jill Scott, Ed Sheeran, Sia, Bruce Springsteen, Sting and Pharrell Williams, will join together to perform, including a once-in-a-lifetime series of duets, focused on creating reconciliation and positive change across communities around the world. Additional performers will be announced in the coming weeks.
“As a global media company, A+E Networks has the privilege of being invited into the homes of millions of people around the world every day and believe that it is our responsibility to use this incredible platform to inform as well as entertain. By shining a light on the uncomfortable truth that racial inequity and bias still impact our society, we are looking to inspire people to go beyond short-lived, symbolic gestures,” said Nancy Dubuc, President & CEO of A+E Networks.
The concert and the ancillary programming will help raise money for the Fund for Progress on Race in America powered by United Way Worldwide. The fund will provide grant funding to individuals and organizations fostering understanding, eliminating bias, as well as provide support to Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church in South Carolina and the broader A.M.E. denomination. The fund will support efforts to address racism and bias through public policy change, individual innovation, and community mobilization.
In the U.S., the two-hour special event will air across A+E Networks’ brand portfolio, including A&E, HISTORY®, Lifetime®, H2®, LMN® and FYI™, as well as on iHeartMedia broadcast radio stations and the iHeartRadio digital platform.
“Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America” will air locally on November 28 at 9pm (SIN/HK) on Lifetime (StarHub CH 514).
Tickets for the concert on November 18 will be available for purchase beginning Wednesday, October 28 at 1pm (ET) through AEG Live at AXS.com and shrineauditorium.com. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Fund for Progress on Race in America powered by The United Way Worldwide.
The Fund for Progress on Race in America is under the leadership of an advisory board which includes: Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund; Rashad Robinson, Executive Director of Color of Change; Judith Browne Dianis, Co-Executive Director of the Advancement Project; Jonathan Greenblatt, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League; Rinku Sen, President and Executive Director of Race Forward: The Center for Racial Justice Innovation; Bishop Vashti McKenzie, incoming chair of the A.M.E. Church General Board; Bishop Reginald Jackson, Social Action Chair for the A.M.E. Church; Mark Rodgers, President and CEO of the Clapham Group; Shawn Dove, CEO of the Campaign for Black Male Achievement; Van Jones, President & Co-Founder of #cut50; and Kimberly Gilmore, Senior Historian and Vice President of Social Responsibility, A+E Networks. The Advisory Group will be managed on behalf of A+E by Civic Entertainment Group and Values Partnerships.
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About “Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America”
“Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America” is produced by Ken Ehrlich Productions in conjunction with A+E Networks and iHeartMedia. “Shining a Light: Conversations on Race in America” is produced by Lincoln Square Productions and Ken Ehrlich Productions in conjunction with A&E Network. For Ken Ehrlich Productions: Executive Producers are Ken Ehrlich and Rac Clark, Producer is Renato Basile, Writers are David Wild and Phil Gallo, and Director is Leon Knoles. For Lincoln Square Productions: Senior Executive Producer is Jeanmarie Condon and Executive Producer is Roxanna Sherwood. For A+E Networks: Executive Producers are Paul Buccieri, Rob Sharenow, Elaine Frontain Bryant, Shelly Tatro and Dan Silberman.
Additionally, A+E Networks has made a commitment beyond the concert itself, to produce an ongoing series of roundtable discussions in communities across the country to bring people together to address the impact of racial inequity and bias. The network will bring together local and national speakers to address the power of unity and the detrimental impact of hate on our nation. The network will also produce a series of PSAs to air across all platforms.
Follow “Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America” via #ShiningALight and on Twitter @ShiningLightNow and Facebook.com/ShiningLightNow.
About A+E Networks®
A+E Networks is an award-winning, global media content company offering consumers a diverse communications environment ranging from television networks to websites, from home videos/DVDs to gaming and educational software. A+E Networks is comprised of the following networks and divisions: A&E®, Lifetime®, HISTORY®, LMN™ (formerly Lifetime Movie Network®), bio.®, H2™, HISTORY en Español™, Crime & Investigation Network®, Military HISTORY®, LRW™ (formerly Lifetime Real Women®), A&E IndieFilms®, A+E Networks International™, A+E Networks Digital™ and A+E Networks Consumer Products™. A+E Networks’ channels and branded programming reach more than 330 million households in over 180 territories. A+E Networks is a joint venture of Disney-ABC Television Group and Hearst Corporation.
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