Discovery Communications Continues Its Support Of White House My Brother's Keeper Initiative With Special Screenings And Panel Discussions With Community Leaders And Obama Administration Officials

SILVER SPRING, Md., Sept. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Discovery Communications today announced that it will host a series of events supporting My Brother's Keeper (MBK), an initiative seeking to improve the life outcomes of boys and young men of color through public-private partnerships and other measures.  The events will include screenings of the Discovery Channel documentary, RISE: THE PROMISE OF MY BROTHER'S KEEPER along with in-depth panels to discuss national and local efforts and steps to ensure that all students have the tools necessary to succeed. 

Events will occur periodically across the country through Father's Day 2016 in conjunction with My Brother's Keeper Community Challenge municipalities and senior Obama Administration officials and cabinet secretaries on the My Brother's Keeper Task Force.  In addition to support of ongoing learning and dialog, Discovery Communications will make the film available to all MBK Community Challenge participants.  The MBK Community Challenge, announced a year ago, encourages communities (cities, rural municipalities, and tribal nations) to implement a coherent cradle-to-college-and-career strategy for improving the life outcomes of all young people to ensure that they can reach their full potential, regardless of who they are, where they come from, or the circumstances into which they were born.

Kicking off this week with U.S. Secretary Arne Duncan's bus tour and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Legislative Conference, each event will include in-depth panel discussions featuring federal and local officials, education leaders as well as advocacy, faith, and business leaders. These panels will focus on the six milestones outlined by the My Brother's Keeper Task Force, a Cabinet-level interagency group charged by President Obama to advance the goals of the My Brother's Keeper initiative.

On Wednesday, September 16, Discovery Communications featured a video clip of RISE at Crispus Attucks Medical Magnet High School in Indianapolis, IN, as part of Secretary Arne Duncan's Ready for Success Back-to-School Bus Tour. Secretary Duncan and Assistant to the President and White House Cabinet Secretary, Broderick Johnson, who also chairs the My Brother's Keeper Taskforce, made remarks.

Discovery will also show parts of the film at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's MBK Townhall on Friday, September 18, and will screen RISE in Spanish at the White House on September 28 to commemorate Hispanic Heritage month.

"We continue to appreciate the commitment of Discovery Communications to help 'change the narrative' by shining a spotlight on young men of color overcoming obstacles to achieve their dreams and the innovative organizations helping them along the way," said Broderick Johnson, Assistant to the President, Cabinet Secretary and Chair of the MBK Task Force. "Today's announcement will spur hundreds of community forums on the critical challenges our young people are facing, while encouraging reflection and action."

"For 30 years, Discovery has been guided by our mission to educate and entertain our viewers, while also shining a light on people and organizations driven to make positive change in the world," said David Zaslav, President and CEO of Discovery Communications.  "We are proud to be part of the My Brother's Keeper initiative, and to amplify the important efforts taking place across the country to enhance the opportunities for boys and young men of color."

RISE: THE PROMISE OF MY BROTHER'S KEEPER explores boys and young men of color from four programs around the U.S. who are living the principles of the My Brother's Keeper initiative.  The film also addresses President Obama's challenge to cities and towns to encourage coherent cradle-to-college-and-career strategies for improving the life outcomes of all young people, regardless of who they are, where they come from, or the circumstances into which they were born. The one-hour, Discovery Channel documentary is directed by Dawn Porter, the filmmaker behind the acclaimed documentary Gideon's Army.

As part of a larger event celebrating the success of Camden's reformed policing practices and the relationship they have with youth in their community, Discovery had an opportunity to interview President Obama for the show.  During the interview, Obama shared his own personal experiences as a young man as well as his motivation for and commitment to the My Brother's Keeper initiative. He also discussed the goals of the initiative, which include ensuring all youth complete their post-secondary education and training and are employed once they're out of school.

Other mentors and students featured in the film include Superintendent of Baltimore City Public Schools S. Dallas Dance, B.A.M. supervisor Anthony Bharataji Joplin, 2013 Urban Prep graduate David Peake, Halstead Academy principal Jennifer Mullenax, YouthBuild alumnus Johnny Herber, National Evangelical Coalition President Rev. Gabriel Salguero, Principal of Tarkington School of Excellence Vincent Iturralde, and parent mentor Joe Blanding, Jr., among others. These mentors and students are changing the narrative about young men of color and the results from the programs are undeniable. 

Last July, Discovery Communications announced a comprehensive program to support the My Brother's Keeper initiative. To build awareness and drive discussion of this important issue, Discovery Communications, the parent company of Discovery Education, committed more than $1 million to produce and air an upcoming one-hour TV special and to host town hall meetings. The TV special, which featured uplifting programs and best practices to improve outcomes for young men of color, aired in June on Discovery Channel, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, and aired in Spanish on Discovery en Espanol, on September 13.

For more information on My Brother's Keeper, including the key milestones the initiative seeks to address, please go to https://www.whitehouse.gov/my-brothers-keeper.  

About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's #1 pay-TV programmer reaching nearly 3 billion cumulative subscribers in more than 220 countries and territories. For 30 years Discovery has been dedicated to satisfying curiosity and entertaining viewers with high-quality content through its global television brands, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Investigation Discovery, Science and Turbo/Velocity, as well as U.S. joint venture network OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. Discovery controls Eurosport, the leading pan-regional sports entertainment destination across Europe and Asia-Pacific. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools, including an award-winning series of K-12 digital textbooks, through Discovery Education, and a digital leader with a diversified online portfolio, including Discovery Digital Networks. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.

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