Source: Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty
SILVER SPRING, MD. (PRWEB) FEBRUARY 06, 2018 — TV One is celebrating Black History Month with a full slate of programming offerings that embody the theme, “Represent the Dream.” The network also debuts a new short form video campaign featuring three-time Grammy Award and Academy Award winning artist, actor and social justice activist Common, which runs throughout the month of February. In the videos, Common discusses a variety of topics related to Black history and issues affecting the African American community: racism and how we can become a better nation; activism, the power of using “our voice” and movements like Black Lives Matter; self-awareness, his heroes and what representing the dream means today, 55 years after Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech.
The campaign also features a digital video exclusive that profiles his life as an activist – his calling, his music and his work. Highlighting Common’s story and journey as an activist, the profile explores where this passion was born and how it was fueled by his music. Transitioning to present day, it also reveals why Common has stepped even more into the spotlight to fight injustices that affect the Black community.
“What drove me to want to be an activist was a conversation with Ambassador Andrew Young, who was, obviously, a very strong figure of the civil rights movement,” said Common in an interview for the profile. “We were sitting around a table at a rehearsal for Selma listening to him and his experiences. We all were in awe of him. He posed the question, ‘What are you willing to die for? Live for that.’ He said, ‘This is what our mentality for the civil rights movement was. We were willing to die for freedom. We were willing to die for equality. We were willing to die for justice, so we lived for it every day.’ When he said that to me it struck me.”
“2018 is a pivotal election year, and the objective of our Black History Month REPRESENT THE DREAM campaign is to elevate our viewers’ awareness of the need for unity, pride and action,” said Lori Hall, TV One SVP Consumer Marketing. “Common is the perfect voice and creative influence for the campaign because of his activism, work and passion for issues facing African Americans today.”
