TV One Commemorates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Holiday with Two Documentary Specials on Monday, January 21

TV One Commemorates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Holiday with Two Documentary Specials on Monday, January 21

- The network for African American adults features the world premiere of MLK: A Dream Deferred hosted by Isaiah Washington from 8-9 PM and the TV One premiere of MLK: The Making of a Holiday from 9-10 PM ET -

SILVER SPRING, Md., Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- On Monday, January 21, TV One commemorates the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the network's fourth birthday with the world premiere of the TV One original hour-long special, MLK: A Dream Deferred at 8 PM followed by the TV One premiere of MLK: The Making of a Holiday from 9-10 (all times ET).

MLK: A Dream Deferred. compares the state of race relations in America forty years after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. against the words and dreams that the legendary civil rights leader wrote and spoke many years ago.

Every year America commemorates the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with community parades and television news footage showing Dr. King fighting segregation in the South and reciting his dream of racial harmony on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. But how have the lives of black Americans changed in the aftermath of Dr. King?

Hosted and narrated by award-winning actor Isaiah Washington, MLK: A Dream Deferred explores the issues of race, education, and poverty through the lives and stories of individuals that move beyond the biographical stories about Dr. King, and into the microcosm of ordinary human relations today, where the film discovers Dr. King's heroic spirit often endures.

Noted celebrities, including Academy Award winning actress Halle Berry, Sanaa Lathan, Regina King and Hill Harper speak excerpts from Dr. King's most famous speeches throughout the special. MLK: A Dream Deferred repeats at 11 PM.

At 9 PM, TV One airs the documentary MLK: The Making of a Holiday, which chronicles the life and accomplishments of Dr. King and the quest by many politicians and celebrities to honor his birthday as a national holiday, which became a reality in 1985. Hosted by actor LeVar Burton, the program features the key leaders in the holiday movement including Coretta Scott King, Stevie Wonder and prominent members of Congress. Also featured in the program is the music of Stevie Wonder and other musical artists. An encore play is scheduled for midnight.

Earlier in the holiday weekend, TV One gives viewers one last chance to see the complete Roots series on TV One on Sunday, January 20 beginning at 2 PM and concluding on Monday, January 21 at 4 PM, Closing out the 30th anniversary celebration, this special 26-hour marathon event, which airs the same week in January that the original mini-series premiered in 1977, includes both the initial groundbreaking mini-series Roots and its highly successful sequel mini-series Roots: The Next Generations shown back to back in their entirety.

Launched on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday holiday in January 2004, TV One (www.tvoneonline.com) serves nearly 43 million households (Nielsen Jan. 2008 estimate), offering a broad range of lifestyle and entertainment-oriented original programming, classic series, movies, fashion and music designed to entertain, inform and inspire a diverse audience of adult African American viewers. TV One's investors include Radio One (Nasdaq: ROIA and ROIAK; www.radio-one.com), the largest radio company that primarily targets African American and urban listeners; Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA and CMCSK; www.comcast.com), the leading cable television company in the country; The DirecTV Group; Constellation Ventures; Syndicated Communications; and Opportunity Capital Partners.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:
CO: TV One
ST: Maryland
IN: TVN ENT
SU: BLK

Source: TV One

CONTACT: Lynn McReynolds, +1-410-268-0275, lynn@mcreynoldselek.com, for
TV One

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

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Profile: International Entertainment