NEW YORK, Jan. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- American history was changed forever when Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States, and so, in celebration of Black History Month, 2009, Nick News with Linda Ellerbeeshowcases stories of kids of all races coming together to fight injustice on We Shall Not Be Moved, premiering Sunday, Feb. 8, at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon. In the special, kids unite to make changes in their neighborhoods, in their schools, and in themselves -- through political action, poetry and art. For, as President Obama says, "There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America."
"When I was young, there was a song called 'We Shall Not Be Moved.' It was about strength and courage and was often sung during the civil rights movement. One verse said, 'Black and white together, we shall not be moved.' What this really meant was that black and white together, we cannot be stopped," said Ellerbee. "We know racism still exists, but these kids show us how we can really embrace each other's diversity and celebrate those differences."
Racism still exists. For instance, kids of different races who were friends in elementary school often begin to pull apart in middle school. In Ohio, a group of high-school kids, recognizing the problem, formed the Student Group On Race Relations (SGORR). Members of SGORR go into elementary schools and give kids of different races concrete ways to stay friends through middle and high school. "As children, we grow up believing we can be everybody's friends. The world teaches us differently, and I think the older we get, we tend to be afraid to cross that barrier," says Colin, one of the SGORR volunteers. "If we're going to change how we interact with other people, then it has to start with us and our friends," says Ayanna.
In Illinois, some kids noticed a big difference between the quality of schools in primarily black neighborhoods and schools in primarily white neighborhoods. "Schools are funded by property taxes, so it basically means the zip code you live in determines what kind of school you're going to have," says Matt, who is white and lives in suburban Chicago. "We want to challenge them (the politicians) to tell us to our face that our schools don't deserve the same funding as suburban schools," says Brandon, a student from the inner city school. Now kids from both races are doing just that -- challenging authority -- together.
Kids are also fighting racism through art. In Rochester, Minnesota, two students, Habib and Candice, put on a poetry slam in which kids wrote and recited poetry based on the words of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "We have to keep learning from what our ancestors did," says Habib. Candace explains, "Our generation is thought to be detached, so this is our way to prove that we are attached. We do still know what Martin Luther King stood for, who he was, what he did, that we still believe that his dream can come true in our world today." In Rolling Prairie, Indiana, students recently participated in an art project called "Hue-man Being" to demonstrate how people of all hues can learn to live together in harmony. The kids' artwork is being shown across the country and published in an upcoming book. "My picture is about three hands trying to touch each other. I put them trying to touch, but not touching, because I don't think we're all the way there yet," says Nick.
Nick News, produced by Lucky Duck Productions, is now in its 19th year, and is the longest-running kids' news show in television history. It has built its reputation on the respectful and direct way it speaks to kids about the important issues of the day. Over the years, Nick News has received more than 20 Emmy nominations and numerous Emmy wins, including last year, when "The Untouchable Kids of India" won the 2008 Prime Time Emmy for Outstanding Children's Program. In 2007, "Private Worlds: Kids and Autism" won the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming. In 1994, the entire series, Nick News, won the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming. In 1998, "What Are You Staring At?" a program about kids with physical disabilities, won the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming. In 2002, "Faces of Hope: The Kids of Afghanistan," won the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming. In 2004, two Nick News Specials, "The Courage to Live: Kids, South Africa and AIDS" and "There's No Place Like Home," a special about homeless kids in America, were both nominated for the Outstanding Children's Programming Emmy. In 2005, it won the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming for its show, "From the Holocaust to the Sudan." Nick News, produced by Lucky Duck Productions, is also the recipient of three Peabody Awards, including a personal award given to Ellerbee for her coverage for kids of the President Clinton investigation. The series has also received two Columbia duPont Awards and more than a dozen Parents' Choice Awards.
Nickelodeon, now in its 30th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 98 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 14 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).
