National Civil Rights Museum Announces eLearning Lunch Counter Sit-In With Support From Verizon

MEMPHIS, Tenn., June 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon and the National Civil Rights Museum announced the development of a new eLearning Lunch Counter Sit-In program modeled after the museum's powerful "Standing Up By Sitting Down" exhibit. The eLearning Lunch Counter Sit-In will be a round-the-clock educational program serving middle school and high school students across the U.S.  The program will discuss in detail the Greensboro Four, the risks they faced and the spread of the sit-in strategy. It will promote a classroom discussion on the themes of nonviolence, system injustice, segregation by law and by choice, and inaction versus action, among others.

"We hope the eLearning Lunch Counter Sit-In will encourage students to gain an appreciation of diversity, while learning that every citizen can make a contribution and give back to his or her community," said Barbara Andrews, director of education for the National Civil Rights Museum. "This grant enables students, teachers and parents from across the country to go online and learn about this important piece of American history."

David Russell, vice president of external affairs for the South Central Region of Verizon, said, "The Verizon Foundation is committed to helping students learn through effective, innovative teaching methods. Our support will help visually depict a significant facet of American history so that students from across the country can learn about social justice issues, while providing teachers with the tools needed for the topic."

The National Civil Rights Museum's eLearning Lunch Counter Sit-In was awarded a $15,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation as part of Verizon's Black History Month Challenge. Verizon employees in the South voted for their favorite organization that focuses on Black History in America. The National Civil Rights Museum received the most votes out of six finalists.

The eLearning Lunch Counter Sit-In program is scheduled to launch this fall.

About the National Civil Rights Museum
The National Civil Rights Museum features exhibits, collections and educational programs that chronicle key episodes of the American Civil Rights Movement. The museum is located in the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. For more information visit http://civilrightsmuseum.org/

About the Verizon Foundation
The Verizon Foundation is focused on accelerating social change by using the company's innovative technology to help solve pressing problems in education, healthcare and energy management.  Since 2000, the Verizon Foundation has invested more than half a billion dollars to improve the communities where Verizon employees work and live. Verizon's employees are generous with their donations and their time, having logged more than 6.8 million hours of service to make a positive difference in their communities.  For more information about Verizon's philanthropic work, visit www.verizonfoundation.org; or for regular updates, visit the Foundation on Facebook (www.facebook.com/verizonfoundation) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/verizongiving).

SOURCE National Civil Rights Museum