CBS News To Commemorate 50th Anniversary Of Signing Of Civil Rights Act
NEW YORK (CBSLA.com) — CBS News will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the signing by President Johnson of the Civil Rights Act with an interactive special airing live on Thursday, July 24 at 5 p.m. PT.
"CBS NEWS: Live Experiences" will bring together many of the people who made the signing possible as well as people from the worlds of news, sports and entertainment as they make personal and public reflections about the historic legislation in "CBS News -- 50 Years Later, Civil Rights."
Bob Schieffer, CBS News' Chief Washington Correspondent and host of "Face the Nation," will moderate the event.
The program will be simulcast on CBSNews.com, the Smithsonian Channel and Microsoft's Bing Pulse.
Some of the names taking part include singer/actor and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte, CBS Sports' James Brown, Oscar-winner Whoopi Goldberg, Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), Brooklyn Nets' Jason Collins, actress Rosie Perez, historian Taylor Branch and many others.
Home viewers, as well as those watching from the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City, will be able to vote on questions using Bing Pulse. (Voting can be done on tablets, computers or mobile devices.)
"CBS News was there reporting on the momentous events of 1964, and our commitment to coverage of the civil rights movement continues today," said CBS News President David Rhodes. "Bob Schieffer's long experience reporting for CBS News gives him the ideal perspective to moderate this important conversation."
"The Civil Rights Act changed the world, and CBS News was there to report every aspect like no other network," said CBS Live Experiences President David Goodman.
"Microsoft is working to enable a new era of participatory media with breakthrough second-screen experiences like Bing Pulse," said Josh Gottheimer, GM in Microsoft's corporate strategy group. "We're thrilled to be partnering with CBS News to give audiences around the world the opportunity to participate in a conversation celebrating the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a watershed moment in our nation's history."
In addition to the live event on the 24th, viewers will be able to experience the history through a wide array of multimedia content available at CBSNews.com/CivilRights.
This material includes rare footage from Walter Cronkite's 1964 prime time special "The Search in Mississippi," following the disappearance and murder of three civil rights activists -- Michael Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman -- by the KKK.