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CNN Dialogues forum to focus on 'Modern Marchers' for social change

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Beverly Clark

CNN anchor Michaela Pereira

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, the next CNN Dialogues forum, "Modern Marchers: Lessons From The Front Lines of Social Change," will feature a discussion with current social activists who are taking lessons from the past while expanding ideas about justice, inclusion and opportunity to impact the 21st century.

The event, co-sponsored by CNN, Emory University's James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference, and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, will be held 7-8:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 12 in the Cecil B. Day Chapel of The Carter Center in Atlanta.  

Tickets are free for this event, but pre-registration is required for admission; seating is limited and based upon time of arrival. Tickets may be reserved by visiting cnndialogues.com.  

The event will be moderated by Michaela Pereira, the news anchor for CNN's morning show "New Day" with Chris Cuomo and Kate Bolduan. Pereira is active in several community organizations working with at-risk children and teens.  She served as a member of the board of directors for the Long Beach Boys and Girls Club; an advisory board member of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), supporting children in foster care; and co-chair of the advisory board of Optimist Youth Home, providing services for troubled youth.

Panelists include:

•  Minh Dang, former executive director of Don't Sell Bodies and a 2013 White House "Champion of Change." Dang advocates for the rights of vulnerable children and people worldwide.

•  Arthur Dunning, professor and senior research fellow at the University of Alabama's Education Policy Center. Dunning has served in administrative and faculty positions at Alabama after embarking on a 27-year career in higher education in Georgia, including the role of Vice President for Public Service and Outreach at the University of Georgia. He serves on the board of directors for the Latin American Association and has worked with higher education and nonprofit activities in more than 30 countries.  

• Tara Roberts, co-founder of girltank, which connects and funds social entrepreneurs and innovators. Previously, Roberts has worked with several magazines, published her own magazine called "Fierce," and edited the books "Am I the Last Virgin? Ten African American Reflections on Sex and Love" and "What Your Mama Never Told You: True Stories About Sex and Love."  

• Michael Skolnik, political director to hip-hop pioneer Russell Simmons and president of GlobalGrind.com. Skolnik is an activist against gun violence and serves on the Trayvon Martin Foundation's Board of Directors. Previously, Skolnik spent more than a decade as a film director and producer.  

About CNN Dialogues

CNN Dialogues represents a partnership including CNN, Emory University’s James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights for a series of community discussions on major topics shaping our times, led by leading thinkers of the day.


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