GlobalShift

USA Network Announces Live Webcast of National Town Hall Meeting

On December 2, USA Network  will present the first ever Characters Unite National Town Hall meeting. This ground-breaking high-level discussion will focus on how America’s increasingly diverse and divided population can find common ground on today’s complex social issues. The event, which will take place  in Washington, DC, will bring together a diverse panel of people such as Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, a Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University, Wade Henderson, President and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and singer, songwriter Jon Bon Jovi.

Also on the panel will be journalists, educators and politicians, all working together to figure out how we can better bridge the cultural divide. In partnership with Charter and Comcast, high schools across the country will have the opportunity to submit questions for the panel and five students will win a trip to Washington, DC, to attend the Town Hall event. For everyone else, USA Network will sponsor a live webcast which can be seen by visiting www.passtheball.com.

“It’s time to get past the labeling. We’re all different, and we all bring something unique to the table,” said Bonnie Hammer, president, NBCU Cable Entertainment and Universal Cable Productions. “We need our differences to unite us, not drive us apart.”

During the Characters Unite Town Hall, NBC News Special Correspondent Tom Brokaw, who will be moderating the event,  will preview his new documentary, American Character Along Highway 50. The film, which is set to premiere on USA Network on Martin Luther King Day, January 18, 2010  follows Brokaw’s journey  as he travels across legendary US Highway 50 discovering how Americans are fairing during these extraordinary times, immersing himself in the lives of ordinary and extraordinary people to reveal uniquely American stories of hardship, survival and hope.

Confirmed Town Hall participants include:

· Mike Allen, Chief White House Correspondent, Politico

· The Honorable Xavier Becerra, Representative, California

· The Honorable Cory Booker, Mayor, Newark, NJ

· The Honorable Max Cleland, Secretary, American Battle Monuments Commission

· Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Professor of Sociology, Georgetown University

· Wade Henderson, President and CEO, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights

· Jon Bon Jovi, Singer, Songwriter, Philanthropist

· David Mixner, Writer and Civil Rights Activist

· Kathleen Parker, Syndicated Columnist

· Chancellor Michelle Rhee, DC Public Schools

· Dr. Christine Sierra, Professor of Political Science, University of New Mexico

Actor Dulé Hill, co-star of USA Network’s “Psych” will also be a special guest in attendance.

Following the Town Hall, the first Characters Unite Award will be presented to an individual who has made a significant and lasting difference in efforts to fight discrimination, champion civil rights and promote respect. The honoree will be profiled on charactersunite.com and receive a $10,000 grant to support his/her project or nonprofit organization.

Nominations for the award are being made by the Characters Unite campaign’s 20 non-governmental partners, which include the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the American Association of People with Disabilities, the National Parent Teacher Association, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the National Council of La Raza, GLAAD, National Council of Women’s Organizations, American Federation of Teachers, Anti-Defamation League, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Asian American Justice Center, Children’s Defense Fund, General Board of Church & Society of The United Methodist Church, Human Rights Campaign, Human Rights First, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, National Association of Counties, National Congress of American Indians, National Education Association and Southern Poverty Law Center.

Don’t miss out on this historic Town Hall Meeting. Pre-register for the free, live webcast at www.passtheball.com, then tune in on December 2 for a lively discussion how we can promote cultural understanding and wipe out prejudice in America.

Source: USA Network