Tavis Smiley Announces America I AM Exhibition Will Debut at Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center in January

                Tickets Available for Pre-registration Today



    PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 21 /EMWNews/ -- The National Constitution Center

in Philadelphia will host the national debut of "America I AM: The African

American Imprint," a four-year touring museum exhibition that will

celebrate 400 years of African American contributions to this country.



    The exhibition is developed in partnership with The Smiley Group, Inc.,

and organized by Cincinnati Museum Center and Arts and Exhibitions

International (AEI), which recently brought the King Tut exhibition to

Philadelphia. The exhibition will run January 15 to May 3, 2009, presenting

a historical continuum of pivotal moments in courage, conviction and

creativity that solidifies the undeniable imprint of African Americans

across the nation and around the world.



    "As Americans, we all want to live in a nation as good as its promise.

This exhibition essentially tells the role that African Americans have

played to make real the promise of American democracy," said Tavis Smiley,

who is presenting the exhibition. "Given its historic role in America's

back story, there is no better place to premiere this exhibit than the city

of Philadelphia."



    "The National Constitution Center is proud and honored to be the

premiere venue for this groundbreaking exhibition," said National

Constitution Center President and CEO Joseph M. Torsella. "The Center is

dedicated to telling the story of 'We the People' in ways that inspire

visitors to become active citizens. This exhibition conveys the struggles,

contributions, and triumphs of African Americans in a way that will inspire

all Americans to engage in an important cultural and historical dialogue."



    Tickets will be available in the fall and are available for

pre-registration as of today at http://www.AmericaIAM.org. Those who have

pre-registered will have an advance opportunity to secure tickets once they

are available.



    "Philadelphia boasts a long list of firsts and prestigious events in

our nation's history," said Mayor Michael Nutter. "The debut of 'America I

AM' at the National Constitution Center is yet another benchmark moment for

the city, and we are proud to host this extraordinary exhibition."



    The twelve galleries, each with its own music thematic and theater

experiences, will convey a journey from struggle to triumph to celebration.

Featuring more than 150 artifacts culled from every period of U.S. history,

the exhibit will include objects, texts, religion, music, narration and

media. An interactive component of the exhibition will allow visitors to

leave their own video "imprints," and this collection will grow throughout

the life of the exhibit to become the largest recorded oral history project

in U.S. history.



    Exhibition organizers have worked with some of the most notable

scholars in the field to develop this exhibition. Among others, advisory

panel members include Howard Dodson, director of the Schomburg Center for

Research in Black Culture at the New York Public Library; Lawrence J.

Pijeaux Jr., president and CEO of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and

immediate past president of the Association of African American Museums;

and Cornel West, professor of religion and African American studies at

Princeton University. John Fleming, president of the Association for the

Study of African American Life and History and director emeritus of museums

at the Cincinnati Museum Center, serves as the executive producer for the

exhibition.



    The National Constitution Center is working to create a local advisory

panel, as well, to identify and develop collaborative programming to

supplement the exhibit and carry the experience outside of the Center's

walls.



    "We are proud to premiere this exhibition about the history of a people

at a museum that tells the story of 'We the People' in such an

inspirational way," said John Norman, president of AEI. "We know from

bringing past exhibitions, such as King Tut, to Philadelphia that there is

an appetite here for major cultural endeavors, and we look forward to

another well received exhibition."



    This exhibition is made possible by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., which serves

as its presenting sponsor.



    "All of us at Wal-Mart are proud to be a part of America I AM," said

Hank Mullany, SVP & President for the Northeast Division of Wal-Mart

Stores, Inc. "Our support is an extension of our commitment to honoring the

contributions that African Americans have made to our great nation. These

words, sounds, images and artifacts bring to life 400 years of the African

American experience. We are excited to play a role in presenting history to

our Philadelphia area associates, customers and partners, who will be among

the first to experience this extraordinary exhibit."



    More details about the exhibition, including a gallery walkthrough

moderated by Tavis Smiley, are available at http://www.AmericaIAM.org.



    ABOUT The Smiley Group, Inc.



    Founded in 1998 and based in Los Angeles, The Smiley Group, Inc., (TSG)

is a communications corporation dedicated to supporting human rights and

related empowerment issues. The mission of TSG is to achieve positive

results through advocacy and education on issues of concern to African

Americans and other people without substantial economic or social standing.

TSG is the holding company for Tavis Smiley Presents, Smiley Radio

Properties, High Quality Speakers Bureau, TS Media, and SmileyBooks. The

Tavis Smiley Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides

leadership development training for youth. Tavis Smiley is the host of

Tavis Smiley on PBS and The Tavis Smiley Show from PRI and the

author/editor of 11 books including the New York Times best sellers

Covenant with Black America, What I Know for Sure: My Story of Growing up

in America, and THE COVENANT In Action. For more information, visit

http://www.tavistalks.com.



    ABOUT Arts and Exhibitions International (AEI)



    Founded in 2003 by president John Norman and international vice

president Andres Numhauser, AEI produces the award-winning exhibition

"Diana: A Celebration" in association with the Althorp Estate in the United

Kingdom, two touring exhibitions dedicated to the treasures of King

Tutankhamun and "Real Pirates: The Untold Story of the Whydah from Slave

Ship to Pirate Ship." Norman and Numhauser have nearly 40 years combined

experience in the entertainment and exhibition business, working over the

years on such projects as "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit" and "Saint Peter

and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes." The company has relationships

with the most important museums in the world and has presented traveling

exhibitions on four continents.



    AEI is part of AEG Exhibitions, an affiliate division of AEG LIVE. AEG

LIVE is a collection of companies dedicated to all aspects of live

contemporary music performance and the live-entertainment division of Los

Angeles-based AEG, one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters

in the world. For more information, log onto

http://www.artsandexhibitions.com.



    ABOUT Cincinnati Museum Center



    Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal is home to the Cincinnati

History Museum, Duke Energy Children's Museum, the Museum of Natural

History & Science, the Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX(R) Theater, and the

Cincinnati Historical Society Archives & Library. It is a nationally

recognized educational and research resource and one of the top cultural

attractions in the Midwest. With more than one million visitors each year,

Museum Center is the top cultural attraction in Cincinnati and the most

visited museum complex in the State of Ohio. Originally built in 1933 as

the Union Terminal train station, the building is a national historic

landmark and was renovated and reopened as Cincinnati Museum Center in

1990. For information, call 513-287-7000 or 1-800-733-2077 or visit

http://www.cincymuseum.org.



    ABOUT The National Constitution Center



    The National Constitution Center, located at 525 Arch St. on

Philadelphia's Independence Mall, is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit

organization dedicated to increasing public understanding of the U.S.

Constitution and the ideas and values it represents. The Center serves as a

museum, an education center, and a forum for debate on constitutional

issues. The museum dramatically tells the story of the Constitution from

Revolutionary times to the present through more than 100 interactive,

multimedia exhibits, film, photographs, text, sculpture and artifacts, and

features a powerful, award-winning theatrical performance, "Freedom

Rising." The Center also houses the Annenberg Center for Education and

Outreach, which serves as the hub for national constitutional education.

Also, as a nonpartisan forum for constitutional discourse, the Center

presents - without endorsement - programs that contain diverse viewpoints

on a broad range of issues. For more information, call 215-409-6700 or

visit http://www.constitutioncenter.org.



    ABOUT Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT)



    Every week, millions of customers visit Wal-Mart Stores, Supercenters,

Neighborhood Markets, and Sam's Club locations across America or log on to

its online store at http://www.wal-mart.com. The company and its Foundation

are committed to a philosophy of giving back locally. Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT)

is proud to support the causes that are important to customers and

associates right in their own neighborhoods, and last year gave more than

$270 million to communities in the United States. To learn more, visit

http://www.walmartfacts.com, http://www.walmartstores.com, or

http://www.walmartfoundation.org.