Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson support African American Lives 2

(February 6, 2008) A multifaceted initiative surrounding the four-part PBS series AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2, which begins tonight and explores the ancestry of 12 remarkable individuals, will ensure the project's impact extends beyond the television screen and Black History Month. Through the support of The Coca-Cola Company and Johnson & Johnson, Thirteen/WNET New York has produced multimedia resources that will enrich communities across the country, inspire people to explore the process of self-discovery, and commemorate African-American history.

Building on their longtime commitment to education, diversity and African-American heritage, The Coca-Cola Company and Johnson & Johnson will further their sponsorship with community outreach events that promote the broadcast and foster a national dialogue about the themes raised in the series.

"This sponsorship is a perfect merging of Thirteen's and our corporate partners' mutual commitment to celebrating African-American history and to education," said Jim Joyella, managing director of national corporate sponsorships at Thirteen. "Coca-Cola and Johnson & Johnson's efforts play a vital role in bringing AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2 resources to the Web, the classroom, and communities nationwide."

The Coca-Cola Company and Johnson & Johnson's sponsorship supports the series' dynamic Web site (www.pbs.org/aalives2), which provides resources for visitors to pursue their own family genealogy; a social media application that allows users to upload and tag their own family stories; further information on the series' research, scholarship and science; interactive scrapbooks for each series participant; lesson plans and media-rich classroom activities for teachers, and more.

Their sponsorship also supports Thirteen's broad educational outreach initiative. Working in cooperation with seven other public television stations in key markets across the country, Thirteen will provide direct, hands-on training to more than 1,000 K-through-12 educators, guiding them in the use of the broadcast program, Web site, and print materials in standards-based classroom instruction. Each participating public television station will partner with a local museum, historical society, or genealogical association to maximize impact of the program in local communities.

"Of the many ways that our business observes Black History Month, none has a more profound impact than this program on how America engages with the past," said Ingrid Saunders Jones, senior vice president and director, Global Community Connections for The Coca-Cola Company and chair of The Coca-Cola Foundation. "Through our sponsorship of this program, countless individuals have been inspired to trace their beginnings. This is a true instrument of insight, and Coca-Cola has played a key role in bringing it to the public consciousness."

As part of its sponsorship, The Coca-Cola Company hosted a special community screening of AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2 in January at Morehouse College, an event that featured the series' host and co-executive producer, Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and radio personality Tom Joyner. Coca-Cola will also host four regional events in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Minneapolis, inviting community leaders for a special preview of AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2 and a discussion of the series' unique use of both genealogy and science in reclaiming lost heritage.

"This is an exciting opportunity for Johnson & Johnson. Through AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2, we are able to underscore the importance of ancestry, genealogy and commitment to family. These very elements are the cornerstones of our values as outlined in Our Credo," said Brian Perkins, vice president of Corporate Affairs for Johnson & Johnson.

Johnson & Johnson will host a screening in Los Angeles, which employees, community leaders, students, and media have been invited to attend. In addition, each year, in memory of the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and in recognition of Black History Month, H.O.N.O.R. (Helping Our Neighbors With Our Resources), a company-supported employee resource group, hosts an event at the World Headquarters of Johnson & Johnson. Employees and their families, as well as community leaders, are invited to attend this event. This year's event featured Henry Louis Gates, Jr. as the keynote speaker. Finally, a poetry contest will be the highlight of an engagement with select high schools across the country emphasizing the importance of ancestry and family values.

Thirteen/WNET is one of the leading providers of PBS programming and a major producer of documentaries exploring the African-American experience. Recent productions include The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow, winner of broadcasting's highest honor, the George Foster Peabody Award; the Emmy Award-winning Slavery and the Making of America; Oprah's Roots; and African American Lives 1, which The New York Times called "the most exciting and stirring documentary on any subject to appear on television in a long time."

Hosted by Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2 explores roots, race and identity through the fascinating family histories of extraordinary men and women. It is a co-production of Thirteen/WNET New York, Kunhardt Productions and Inkwell Films. Executive producers are Henry Louis Gates Jr., William R. Grant, Peter W. Kunhardt, and Dyllan McGee. Graham Judd is senior producer. Leslie Asako Gladsjo, Jesse Sweet, and Jack Youngelson are producers/directors.

Major corporate funding for AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2 and its outreach initiatives is provided by The Coca-Cola Company and Johnson & Johnson. Additional funding is provided by Buick. Funding is also provided by public television viewers and PBS.

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