Ava DuVernay And W.K. Kellogg Foundation Present Special Live Event Marking The National Day Of Racial Healing

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today at 1 p.m. PST / 4 p.m. EST, filmmaker Ava DuVernay and her foundation ARRAY Alliance will partner with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to present #HowWeHeal: Celebrating the National Day of Racial Healing.

The event, which will be streamed live via official #HowWeHeal partner Facebook at fb.com/NationalDayofRacialHealing, will feature change-making conversations and collaborative live performances curated by DuVernay to build awareness and drive dialogue around racial equity, justice and healing.

Confirmed speakers and performers for #HowWeHeal include:

• Actress and Philanthropist Eva Longoria
• 2018 Georgia Gubernatorial Candidate Stacey Abrams
• Filmmaker Judd Apatow
• Actress and Activist Laverne Cox
• Author Jacqueline Woodson
• Actress Storm Reid
• Journalist Amy Goodman
• Music Icon Melissa Etheridge
• Actor and Producer David Oyelowo
• Female Tap Group Syncopated Ladies
• Movement Artist and Choreographer Jon Boogz.

"There's a lot of talking and tweeting these days. A lot of pontification about where we are as a country and how we arrived here," said Ava DuVernay. "When the Kellogg Foundation approached ARRAY about working together on furthering and deepening those conversations, I was all in. The responsibility of fighting inequality and injustice is all of ours. But it's particularly important that those of us with certain visibility and influence use our platforms to urge bold conversations. We can never give up on pushing this nation to live up to its promise."

The "National Day of Racial Healing" was established by the Kellogg Foundation in 2017 to promote healing as a critical path for ending racial bias and creating a society in which all children can thrive. The annual outreach is part of WKKF's Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation effort, a national and community-based process designed to bring transformational and sustainable change to communities, while addressing the historic and contemporary effects of racism.

"Healing is at the heart of racial equity," said La June Montgomery Tabron, W.K. Kellogg Foundation president and CEO. "Conversations like these – held in community spaces, in offices and living rooms – are an opportunity to widen the conversation. The National Day of Racial Healing is an opportunity to begin and a process to help all of us share stories and engage in authentic conversations. A partner like Ava DuVernay brings her artistic lens to the experience and invites more voices into the dialogue."

#HowWeHeal livestream watch parties are planned in many communities across the country on the 22nd, along with music performances, faith-based services, museum tours and other local activities. Visit dayofracialhealing.org for livestream details available prior to the event, and follow the official hashtag #HowWeHeal on social media.

ABOUT ARRAY
Founded in 2010 by Ava DuVernay, ARRAY is a film collective dedicated to the amplification of images by people of color and women directors. Now in its ninth year, ARRAY Releasing focuses on grass-roots distribution of feature narrative and documentary work by varied voices. Newly formed non-profit ARRAY Alliance expands on the organization's deep roots in independent film through special programming geared towards impactful, inclusive initiatives. Together, ARRAY continues to champion underrepresented creators in creative spaces.

ABOUT W.K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal pioneer, Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work and life.

The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Michigan, and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special emphasis is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti. For more information, visit www.wkkf.org.

SOURCE W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Related Links

http://www.wkkf.org