Mariama Tyler Jenkins Office of Communications & Public Engagement 404.802.2814 [email protected]

For Immediate Release January 16, 2015

ATLANTA COMMUNITY RAISES FUNDS TO PURCHASE TICKETS FOR APS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO SEE “SELMA”

ATLANTA – To kick off the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Holiday weekend, Atlanta Public Schools (APS) has joined the growing national movement to provide free movie tickets for “SELMA” to 10,000 APS high school (9th-12th grades) students beginning Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015. The Atlanta community came together to raise more than $100,000 to purchase tickets for the film.

“SELMA” is the story of a movement. The film chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the . Director Ava DuVernay’s “SELMA” tells the story of how the revered leader and visionary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his brothers and sisters in the movement prompted change that forever altered history. The film also stars Tom Wilkinson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Alessandro Nivola, Giovanni Ribisi, Common, Carmen Ejogo, Lorraine Toussaint, with Tim Roth and as “Annie Lee Cooper.”

“This movie is an educational moment for more than 10,000 Atlanta Public Schools students who we are inviting to see this film. I am proud and humbled by the immediate outpouring of support from our Atlanta community who has joined this growing national movement,” said Dr. Meria J. Carstarphen, superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools and Selma, Alabama native. “Our Atlanta education partners believe in our students, and I am grateful for the opportunity they are providing our students to see one of the most pivotal moments in American history.”

King attended APS’ Booker T. Washington High School and entered Morehouse College during his junior year in high school.

The students who present a current Atlanta Public Schools ID or report card at the box office of any participating theater will receive free admission while tickets last. The metro Atlanta theaters are:  AMC PARKWAY POINTE 15-Atlanta  AMC PHIPPS PLAZA 14-ATLANTA  AMC SOUTHLAKE 24-MORROW  AMC STONECREST 16-LITHONIA  CARMIKE CINEMAS MOVIES ATL 14-ATLANTA  REGAL ATLANTIC STATION 18 IMAX & RPX-ATLANTA  REGAL HOLLYWOOD 24 @ NORTH I-85-CHAMBLEE  REGAL PERIMETER POINT STADIUM 10-ATLANTA

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Selma Screening Page 2

The business leaders who are leading the efforts in Atlanta are: Dr. Meria J. Carstarphen, superintendent, Atlanta Public Schools; Dr. Michael Lomax, president & CEO, United Negro College Fund; Hala Moddelmog, president & CEO, Metro Atlanta Chamber; and Dr. John Silvanus Wilson, Jr., president, Morehouse College. The following supporters are making it possible for 10,000 APS high school students to see “SELMA”:

$10,000 + Funders Endorsing Organizations Chick-fil-A 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc. Ford Foundation Atlanta Business League Greenberg Traurig Atlanta City Council Bill Lewis & Carol Sutton-Lewis Atlanta Women’s Club Chuck Phillips Andrew & Walter Young Family YMCA Myrtle Potter & Alan Thompson CARE Newell Rubbermaid Dogwood City Chapter of The Links, Incorporated The family of Meria J. Carstarphen First Congregational Church W.K. Kellogg Foundation National Black MBA Association – Atlanta Chapter National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. – Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter Funders ($9,999-$1,000) National Sales Network Atlanta Atlanta Board of Education S.C.L.C Women AFSCME The Foundation Coast to Coast Tours The C. T. Vivian Leadership Institute Georgia-Pacific & Youth Entrepreneurs Georgia The National Center for Civil and Human Rights Georgia Natural Gas The Urban League of Greater Atlanta Hara Amdemariam United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta H.J. Russell and Company Kathy and Kenny Waller Endorsing Individuals Metro Atlanta Chamber Fulton County Chairman John Eaves The Integral Group Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard Thomas Kennedy Sampson & Tompkins Mr. Lonnie King United Way of Metro Atlanta Dr. Joseph E. Lowery Atlanta City Council President Ceasar C. Mitchell Dr. C. T. Vivian Ambassador Andrew J. Young

“SELMA” is nominated for Academy Awards® for Best Picture and Best Original Song for “Glory” by Common & John Legend. The film earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Song for “Glory” and was nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director.

The film’s educational outreach includes a curriculum guide with 11 interdisciplinary lesson plans in Social Studies, ELA, Geography, Math and Art. All lessons meet Common Core State Standards. Educators and parents may download a curriculum guide by visiting: http://bazaned.com/selma-curriculum-guide

About Atlanta Public Schools Atlanta Public Schools is one of the largest school districts in the state of Georgia, serving approximately 50,000 students across 106 learning sites. The district is organized into nine K-12 clusters with 87 schools, 17 charter schools and two citywide single-gender academies, where students are offered rigorous instructional programs that foster success in school and life. For more information, visit www.atlantapublicschools.us

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