Memphis, TN, Oct. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Civil Rights Museum brings the star-studded Freedom Award Red Carpet experience to the nation via live stream. The Red Carpet, which precedes the 31^st Freedom Award Ceremony, will feature the 2022 honorees, STACEY ABRAMS, KERRY KENNEDY, and DR. CLAYBORNE CARSON. Ceremony host Tobias Truvillian, entertainers J. Ivy and Let It Happen, Museum President Russell Wigginton, and other notable participants and guests will also be highlighted.

Hosted by Memphis NBC affiliate anchor/reporter, Kelli Cook, the Red Carpet live stream experience will include interviews with the honorees, entertainers and influencers to discuss the impact of the Freedom Award and current events. The live stream will launch on the Freedom Award website as well as the museum’s YouTube channel and Facebook page on October 19, 2023 beginning at 5:30 p.m. Central.

Presented by Nike the Freedom Award Ceremony will be held at the Orpheum Theatre. The Red Carpet Pre-Show Gala is held next door at the Halloran Centre for the Performing Arts in Downtown Memphis.

The morning Freedom Award Student Forum was also livestreamed on the museum’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.

Visit freedomaward.org for more information and live streaming access.

About the National Civil Rights Museum
The NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM, located at the historic Lorraine Motel where civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, gives a comprehensive overview of the American Civil Rights Movement from slavery to the present. Since the Museum opened in 1991, millions of visitors from around the world have come, including more than 90,000 students annually. Serving as the new public square, the Museum is steadfast in its mission to honor and preserve the site of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination.  It chronicles the American civil rights movement and tells the story of the ongoing struggle for human rights, serving as a catalyst to inspire action to create positive social change.  A Smithsonian Affiliate and an internationally acclaimed cultural institution, the Museum is recognized as a 2019 National Medal Award recipient by the Institute of Museums and Library Services (IMLS), the top national honor for museums and libraries.  It is a TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Top 5% U.S. Museum, USA Today's Top 10 Best American Iconic Attractions; Top 10 Best Historical Spots in the U.S. by TLC's Family Travel; Must See by the Age of 15 by Budget Travel and Kids; Top 10, American Treasures by USA Today; and Best Memphis Attraction by The Commercial Appeal and the Memphis Business Journal.

About Smithsonian Affiliations
Established in 1996, Smithsonian Affiliations is a national outreach program that develops long-term collaborative partnerships with museums and educational and cultural organizations to enrich communities with Smithsonian resources. The long-term goal of Smithsonian Affiliations is to facilitate a two-way relationship among the Affiliate organizations and the Smithsonian Institution to increase discovery and inspire lifelong learning in communities across America. More information about the Smithsonian Affiliations program and Affiliate activity is available at www.affiliations.si.edu.

– civilrightsmuseum.org –

Connie Dyson
National Civil Rights Museum
901-527-1225
cdyson@civilrightsmuseum.org