PHILADELPHIA – To celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Comcast NBCUniversal is proud to release an hour-long special commemorating civil rights heroes featured in its award-winningVoices of the Civil Rights Movement platform. The special — which debuts on Black Experience on Xfinity and Xumo Play on Jan. 15 — features a fireside chat with King confidant and former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young.
Voices of the Civil Rights Movement Program
Comcast NBCUniversal teammates, NBC TODAY’s Craig Melvin and Sheinelle Jones, and 14 civil rights heroes (including Andrew Young) at the Voices 10th Anniversary Celebration, September 2023.
In recognition of 10 years of Voices of the Civil Rights Movement, Comcast invited community and civic leaders to Philadelphia’s Comcast Technology Center in September 2023 to honor the civil rights heroes featured on the platform. Hosted by NBC TODAY’s Craig Melvin and Sheinelle Jones, the program will debut for audiences nationwide on MLK Jr. Day.
The special program includes an in-depth conversation with legendary civil rights leader Amb. Andrew Young, a close lieutenant of Dr. King, in which he reflects on highlights from his storied career, and his positive outlook on the future.
Andrew Young, Former U.N. Ambassador
“We’ve been through, ‘many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come but grace brought me safe thus far and grace will lead us on.’ … We are making more progress than I’ve ever known, and we’re making it faster than any time in my lifetime.” – Andrew Young, Former U.N. Ambassador and Voices honoree
The program also honors fellow civil rights champions who contributed their stories to the Voices platform since its 2013 launch, including Tony award-winning actress Melba Moore, Freedom Rider Joan Trumpauer Mulholland, Tuskegee Airman Dr. Eugene Richardson, and fellow pioneers. The special features two musical performances from a children’s choir from Philadelphia-based nonprofit Play on Philly, who sing the Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” and “Let Them Hear You” from RAGTIME The Musical.
Home to 250 first-person interviews and historical moments free to everyone, Voicesof the Civil Rights Movement honors the legacy and impact of the heroic individuals who pioneered the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
The platform was launched in 2013 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech became a rallying cry for the movement. Learn more about how we’re celebrating the platform’s 10th anniversary here.
The full one-hour special is available to watch exclusively on Black Experience on Xfinityand Xumo Play beginning Jan. 15.
