ATLANTA - (Aug. 4, 2005)

Some of America’s most enduringly popular entertainers, including Grammy Award-winning musicians Willie Nelson, Stevie Wonder and Roberta Flack, are contributing their talents to support voting rights on Saturday, Aug. 6, as thousands converge in Atlanta for the Keep the Vote Alive March and Rally. The march and rally celebrate the 40th anniversary of the historic Voting Rights Act of 1965 and seeks the reauthorization of its crucial guarantees of voting rights for all.

The entertainers will perform during the Keep the Vote Alive March and Rally, which is sponsored by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and supported by dozens of civil-rights organizations, churches, labor organizations, and others. The event commemorates the signing of the Act while calling attention to threats facing minorities and the poor as key provisions of the Act come up for renewal in 2007. Marchers will assemble from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Richard B. Russell Federal Building, 75 Spring Street in Atlanta, and then proceed along Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive to the rally site at Herndon Stadium, between Vine and Sunset, on the campus of Morris Brown College.

Willie Nelson -- a longtime friend and supporter of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition as well as one of America’s greatest musicians -- recently released “Countryman,” bringing a reggae flavor to his country roots. Long known for his dedication to family farms through FarmAid, Nelson also contributed to “Songs for Tsunami Relief,” an album by country stars made to aid relief efforts after the South Asia tsunami.

Stevie Wonder’s newest CD, “A Time to Love,” is eagerly anticipated by fans of the man whose career began at Motown and expanded to embrace the entire world. No stranger to politics, Wonder campaigned vigorously for designation as a national holiday of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. The singer-songwriter’s beloved classics include “I Just Called to Say I Love You,” “For Once in My Life,” “Superstition,” and “You Are the Sunshine of My Life.”

Roberta Flack, known for her velvet voice and impeccable choice of material, has charted many times during her stellar career. Noted for her collaborations with Peabo Bryson and Donnie Hathaway, the singer’s hits have included such gems as “Killing Me Softly,” “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” and “Where Is the Love?”

In addition to Nelson, Wonder and Flack, recording artist John Legend and gospel stars Darius Brooks and Dr. Bobby Jones are scheduled to perform.

Keep the Vote Alive March and Rally is supported by the National Council of Churches, the AFL-CIO, the Congressional Black Caucus, National Education Association, National Council of LaRaza, NOW, MALDEF, LULAC, SEIU, and many other organizations.


The Rainbow/PUSH Coalition is a progressive organization, which seeks to protect, defend and gain civil rights, even the economic and educational playing fields in all aspects of American life, and bring peace to the world. The organization is headquartered at 930 E. 50th St. in Chicago. For more information about the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, please visit the organization’s website, www.rainbowpush.org, or telephone (773) 373-3366. To interview Rev. Jackson about this topic, please call the numbers listed above.