Comcast NBCUniversal hosted a celebratory event for the 10-year anniversary of their award-winning multimedia initiative, Voices of the Civil RIghts Movement, at the Comcast Technology Center in Philadelphia. The event featured a fireside chat with pioneering civil rights leader and former U.N. AmbassadorAndrew Young, live performances, tributes to civil rights heroes, and more.
The event kicked off with a welcome reception for guests to mingle, enjoy hors d’oeuvres, and an invitation to explore a curated selection from the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection,Temple University Libraries. As guests took their seats for the program, NBC News TODAY Show co-hosts Craig Melvin and Sheinelle Jones provided an overview of the mission for the event, which was to celebrate the 10-year milestone since the inception of the Voices of the Civil Rights Movement platform.
The hosts then introduced Ebonne L. Leaphart, Comcast’s Vice President of Local Media Development, who provided additional remarks on the significance of the platform and the event. Next, guests were shown a clip of Ambassador Andrew Young’s Voices of the Civil Rights Movement segment before he began the captivating fireside chat. The celebration concluded with a dessert reception and an invitation for guests to stop by The Universal Sphere in the Comcast Technology Center lobby for a free cinematic experience that explores the power of ideas. Additional notable guests in attendance included Voices of the Civil Rights Movement interviewees Award-Winning Actress and Lifelong Civil Rights Activist Melba Moore, Tuskegee Airman Dr. Eugene Richardson, Mark Segal, Judge Brenda Hill Cole, Patricia A. Coulter, Glenn Ellis, Harold T. Epps, Charlie Geter, Lorraine Powell-Johnson, Yvette Miley, Reverend William B. Moore, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland, Dolores Brewer, Edith Lee Payne, along with state and local elected and appointed officials. To cap off the awe-inspiring evening, Comcast NBCUniversal received a Congressional Commendation honoring the 10th anniversary of the platform from United States Representative Mary Gay Scanlon.
Comcast NBCUniversal’s Voices of the Civil Rights Movement (VOCRM) platform is a signature multimedia initiative honoring the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Since its launch in 2013, the Voices platform has created opportunities for learning and inspiration through the power of Comcast NBCUniversal’s reach, technology, and platforms — connecting audiences of all ages to compelling programming that informs and inspires. In celebration of the anniversary milestone, Comcast NBCUniversal also released 10 new video interviews further expanding the collection to more than 200 firsthand accounts from American civil rights champions including the late Baseball Legend Hank Aaron, Award-Winning Actress and Lifelong Civil Rights Activist Melba Moore, and Freedom Rider Hank Thomas, available on Comcast’s Black Experience on Xfinity channel and free to everyone at CivRightsVoices.com.
