FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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McDonald’s 365Black Awards to Recognize Remarkable Leaders in Entertainment, Humanitarianism, Business, Sports and InspiraDon for DedicaDon to Serving CommuniDes 11th annual awards program to feature sensa3onal performances by today’s ho8est stars
OAK BROOK, Ill. — (June 18, 2014) — In celebra+on of the 11th annual McDonald’s 365Black Awards, the company will honor individuals who make posi+ve contribu+ons to the community at this year’s star-‐ studded event. Hosted by actor/television correspondent Terrence Jenkins and actress Tika Sumpter, the awards show will be held Saturday, July 5, 2014, during the 20th anniversary of the ESSENCE Fes+val™ presented by Coca Cola® in New Orleans. The show is known for drawing a number of top celebrity aVendees, many of whom will grace the golden carpet prior to the ceremony. Surprise musical performances will make this highly-‐an+cipated show a not-‐to-‐be missed event.
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McDonald’s 365Black Awards are given annually to salute outstanding individuals who are commiVed to making posi+ve contribu+ons that strengthen the African-‐American community. This year’s honorees include: civil rights ac+vist the Rev. Al Sharpton; music execu+ve and entrepreneur Kevin Liles; film producer Will Packer; inspira+onal leader Iyanla Vanzant; former NFL athlete Dhani Jones and McDonald’s Owner/Operator Henry Coaxum. Addi+onally, ar+st Skyler Grey and entrepreneur Gabrielle Jordan Williams will be recognized alongside this lineup with the first-‐ever McDonald’s 365Black Community Choice Youth Award.
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“We are excited to recognize these outstanding individuals for their incomparable contribu+ons to the community,” said Rob Jackson, McDonald’s U.S. marke+ng director. “Like our honorees, McDonald’s is commiVed to being deeply rooted in the communi+es we serve 365 days a year. That’s why we strive to con+nually create posi+ve plagorms, such as the 365Black Awards, that bring social awareness to areas that are important to our neighbors.”
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Prior to the ceremony, television correspondent Janell Snowden will cover celebrity ac+on from the golden carpet wearing fashion designed exclusively by TraVonne Walker, Bowie State University undergraduate and winner of the 2014 McCafé -‐ Harlem’s Fashion Row® University Student Design Compe++on. Walker will work with reality television fashion design compe++on alum Kimberly Goldson to perfect the memorable look.
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McDonald’s 365Black Awards launched in 2003 as an extension of the company’s 365Black plagorm, which celebrates the pride, heritage and achievements of African-‐Americans year-‐round. The 2014 program is a free, +cketed event. Visit www.evengarm.com/365BlackAwards2014 to register for +ckets.
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Those who miss the live awards ceremony can s+ll share in the experience by watching the broadcast on BET Networks on August 10 at 10 p.m. EDT/9 p.m. CDT. The awards ceremony will also air on CENTRIC on August 17 at 11 p.m. EDT/10 p.m. CDT. Addi+onally, fans can follow @McDonalds on TwiVer for updates on the awards show and join the conversa+on using #365BlackAwards.
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About McDonald’s
McDonald's USA, LLC, serves a variety of menu op+ons made with quality ingredients to more than 27 million customers every day. Nearly 90 percent of McDonald's 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by businessmen and women. Customers can now log online for free at approximately 11,500 par+cipa+ng Wi-‐Fi enabled McDonald's U.S. restaurants. For more informa+on, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on TwiVer @McDonalds and Facebook www.facebook.com/ mcdonalds. To learn more about the 365Black ini+a+ve, visit www.365Black.com.
! About BET Networks:
BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is the na+on’s leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-‐American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-‐Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-‐American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet des+na+on for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-‐hour entertainment network targe+ng the 25-‐ to 54-‐year-‐old African-‐American audience; BET Digital Networks -‐ BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, aVrac+ve alterna+ves for cutng-‐edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collec+on of BET-‐branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-‐on-‐demand; BET Event Produc+ons, a full-‐scale event management and produc+on company with fes+vals and live events spanning the globe; BET operates in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribu+on.
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The following trademarks used herein are owned by McDonald’s Corpora+on and its affiliates: 365Black, McCafé and McDonald’s. ©2014 McDonald’s
