New post from the NAACP: NAACP Kicks Off 111th Annual Convention with Arts, Culture & Entertainment Festival by Marc Banks

Washington, D.C. – The NAACP will kick off its 111th Annual Convention on Monday, August 3, 2020, with the Arts, Culture & Entertainment (ACE) Festival, powered by the NAACP’s Hollywood Bureau. Along with showcasing exclusive digital events and rising Black talent, the festival will feature a diverse set of speakers, artists, and actors that will touch on social and racial justice through the lens of television, film, music, and more. The festival will also feature presentations and an award ceremony for NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) program. 

Scheduled to speak:

LaMorne Morris, actor; Ethan Hawke, actor, writer, producer, director; Maria Taylor, College Sports Host & Reporter, NBA Countdown host, ESPN; Grant Hill, executive producer, Daveed Diggs, actor, writer, producer, activist; Derrick Johnson, president and CEO, NAACP.

“The Hollywood Bureau is excited to start this year’s annual convention with our virtual Arts, Culture & Entertainment Festival,” said Robin Harrison, director, NAACP Hollywood Bureau. “The Black community has always been exceptional in using our skills to uplift, celebrate, and bring attention to our plight in a meaningful way. This year’s ACE Festival will be no different and is sure to be timely, engaging, and insightful.” 

The ACE Festival will kick off several weeks of programming for the NAACP’s National Convention. The following week, August 12 through August 14, ACT-SO, a yearlong achievement program for African-American high school students, will host a virtual competition with an awards ceremony on the 15th. 

Media interested in covering this year’s conference can visit NAACP.org to register and learn more information. Press inquiries regarding the festival should be emailed to communications@naacpnet.org.

  

The schedule of events is as follows: 

Monday, August 3

Black Boy Joy (Short Film)

3:45 – 4:00 PM EST

Crip Camp Screening with Q&A (Live)

4:00 – 6:25 PM EST

John Lewis: Good Trouble (Limited to 200 people)

6:30-8:00 PM EST

 

Tuesday, August 4

SWIM (Short Film)

3:00 – 3:15 PM EST

ESPN’s Undefeated- Time for Change: We Won’t be Defeated 

3:00 – 4:00 PM EST

A Most Beautiful Thing Documentary Screening

4:30-6:30 PM EST

 

Wednesday, August 5

Woke (Pilot Episode- Hulu)

4:30-5:30 PM EST

It’s Not All Black and White/Black Lives Matter (Short Film)

5:00 – 5:35 PM EST

The Good Lord Bird (Clips & Conversations)

5:30 – 6:30 PM EST

 

Thursday, August 6

The “Proud Family” Reunion

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM EST

The Mud (Short Film)

4:00 – 4:10 PM EST

Disney/Pixar’s SOUL (Clips & Conversations)

4:00 – 4:45 PM

Counter (Short Film)

4:45- 4:56 PM EST

Behind the Story of Musical

Genius – Aretha Franklin (Clips & Conversation)

6:00 – 7:00 PM EST

###

About NAACP

Founded in 1909 in response to the ongoing violence against Black people around the country, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation. We have over 2,200 units and branches across the nation, along with well over 2M activists. Our mission is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.

The NAACP is a c4 organization (contributions are not tax-deductible), and we have a partner c3 organization known as NAACP Empowerment Programs (contributions are fully tax-deductible as allowed by the IRS).

NOTE: The Legal Defense Fund – also referred to as the NAACP-LDF was founded in 1940 as a part of the NAACP, but separated in 1957 to become a completely separate entity. It is recognized as the nation’s first civil and human rights law organization and shares our commitment to equal rights.

The post NAACP Kicks Off 111th Annual Convention with Arts, Culture & Entertainment Festival appeared first on NAACP.

Read more here.