Conversations Book Club teams up with documentary to begin important conversation across the country.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Friday, August 22, 2008



Conversations Book Club to Hold Interfaith Dialogue at Medgar Evers Library (Jackson, MS)

Forum and Film to promote greater understanding about Islam



Contact: Daniel Tutt, Outreach Coordinator,

20,000 Dialogues

202.298.8088



Cyrus A. Webb, President

Conversations Book Club

cawebb4.juno.com

601.896.5616



( Jackson, MS) – On Saturday, November 1, 2008 at 11a.m. and again at 2p.m., Conversations Book Club will host a dialogue party and showing of the film Prince Among Slaves at the Medgar Evers Branch Library (Jackson,MS) in collaboration with Unity Production Foundation’s (UPF), national 20,000 Dialogues initiative, beginning a month-long discussion of the book by the same name authored by Terry Alford.

20,000 Dialogues is a grassroots initiative designed to use documentaries about Islam and Muslims to bring people of different backgrounds together to talk about the challenging issues and break down barriers of misunderstanding in a forum-setting.

The November 1st event will feature UPF’s recently released film, Prince Among Slaves as a means to develop common ground, educate, and serve as a catalyst for improving interfaith relations. Those present will also discuss the book by the same name written by Terry Alford to see how the two relate to our appreciation of history today. (Conversations has chosen the book as the “Book of the Month” for all of its chapters and discussions in the country during November 2008 and is encouraging other book clubs to do the same.)

The award winning documentary has been seen on PBS by millions of viewers and tells the remarkable true story of Abdul Rahman, an African Muslim Prince enslaved in Natchez, Mississippi during America’s early years. It is narrated by celebrated hiphop artist/actor Mos Def. This collaboration adds to the history the documentary is making since Conversations is the first literary organization chosen to travel with the project to moderate dialogue about the book and the film.

“Abdul-Rahman survived the harsh ordeals of slavery through his love of family and his deep abiding faith,” says Co-Executive Producer Michael Wolfe. ”The film depicts a universal story of perseverance and hope. Abdul endured unimaginable indignities and faced immeasurable odds, yet managed to survive his long fall from royalty with character and integrity intact.”

“Conversations Book Club is pleased to be working with bestselling author Terry Alford and those involved with the film Prince Among Slaves,” says Cyrus A. Webb,33, President of the award-winning book club. He will be facilitating the discussion in Mississippi as well as in Memphis, New Orleans, Montgomery, Atlanta and Chicago. A meet and greet is being scheduled in Washington D.C. with many of the principals of the project as well as Conversations Book Club to prepare for the overall launch. "Abdul Rahman's story is a part of Mississippi's history and we are hoping to bring awareness to it and how we can learn from the mark he made on the world."

For more information on the dialogue party, please visit www.thebestbookclub.info or call Cyrus A. Webb at 601.896.5616 or email him at cawebb4.juno.com. For more information on its 20,000 Dialogue Initiative, please visit http://www.dialoguesforpeace.org/ or contact Daniel Tutt using the information above.

Unity Productions Foundation is a nonprofit production company whose mission is to develop balanced, fair and accurate journalistic material concerning the world’s cultural and spiritual traditions in order to help increase understanding and tolerance.