CNN, the James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference at Emory University and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights are launching a series of public forums to discuss relevant issues of the day.
The inaugural "CNN Dialogues" event will be moderated by Wolf Blitzer, a CNN anchor and host of "The Situation Room." The first forum, "CNN Dialogues: The 2010 Census and a New America," will be held Aug 31 at the Carter Center. It will focus on the impact of the nation's changing demographics.
Panelists include author Heidi Durrow, who wrote "The Girl Who Fell From the Sky"; Yul Kwon, an attorney and host of the upcoming PBS series "America Revealed"; University of Maryland demography and sociology professor Kris Marsh; Edward James Olmos, actor and activist; and Dana White, an American studies professor at Emory.
The project is the brainchild of Rudolph P. Byrd, founding director of the Johnson Institute.
Byrd said he wanted to present a "lively forum where the people of Atlanta can come together to discuss the major issues and events shaping our time."
Three events are planned for this year and four the following year, said Susan Grant, executive vice president of news services at CNN. She said the network is breaking ground with the series. It has never held a community forum that is not linked to a specific television program. "The intention is to encourage live audience participation and civic dialogue to make this as dynamic as we can," she said.
Proceeds will go to the James Weldon Johnson Institute and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.
CEO Doug Shipman of the civil rights center said the forums will likely "strengthen Atlanta's position in the forefront of these types of discussions." He said the second forum will deal with the digital age, social media and their impact on privacy. The third will focus on the impact of openness on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues.
Tickets are $25. To buy tickets, go to www.emory.edu/cnndialogues or call the James Weldon Johnson Institute at 404-727-2515 or the National Center for Civil and Human Rights at 404-991-6988. Tickets can also be purchased at the door.
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