AARP Launches "Voices of Civil Rights" Public Service Campaign to Commemorate 50th Anniversary of Key Milestones in the Civil Rights Movement

Press Release by AARP

WASHINGTON - AARP is commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Medgar Evers' assassination (6/12/63), the March on Washington (8/28/63) and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (7/2/64) with nationwide public service announcements featuring six eye-opening personal stories selected from the Library of Congress "Voices of Civil Rights" exhibit . The PSAs will appear on cable television, including CNN and TV One, through August 2013.

"Voices of Civil Rights" is a collection of manuscripts and oral histories that were assembled nearly 10 years ago in a collaborative project led by AARP in partnership with the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) and the Library of Congress. As part of the multifaceted initiative, a bus staffed with award-winning journalists, photographers and videographers traveled more than 12,000 miles, visiting historic sites from Virginia to California, and documented the journey. More than 200,000 people attended "Voices of Civil Rights" events in their communities and shared their personal stories of courage, hope and sacrifice. At the end of the 70 day bus tour through 22 states, AARP donated nearly 4,000 stories to the Library of Congress.

"AARP produced Voices of Civil Rights to bring the sights and sounds of this impactful movement to the world," said Larry Gannon, AARP VP TV & Radio Programming. "It is our goal that the PSAs provide an opportunity for reflection and remembrance and inspire others to share their experiences."

As part of the 2013 "Voices of Civil Rights" public service campaign, people can submit their personal stories at www.aarp.org/TellAStory. AARP may select some of the stories to be featured on the AARP website.