The James M. Cox Foundation Pledges $500,000 to the National Center for Civil & Human Rights

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Sep 28, 2011, 09:00 ET

ATLANTA, Sept. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cox Enterprises announced today that The James M. Cox Foundation is pledging a $500,000 gift to the National Center for Civil & Human Rights. The gift will go into effect upon the Center's ground breaking.

The pledge joins a previous $1 million contribution by the James M. Cox Foundation to secure the Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection (King Papers) and a $750,000 gift by Anne Cox Chambers to secure the sketches of U.S. Congressman and Civil Rights Leader John Lewis (Benny Andrews' John Lewis Collection), which will be prominently displayed at the Center.

"Our founder, James M. Cox, strongly believed in equality for all," said Jim Kennedy, chairman of Cox Enterprises. "He was an educator and elected official who advocated for fair and respectful treatment of all people. It is in his honor that we support the National Center for Civil & Human Rights to both remember the past and to continue an ongoing dialogue to recognize and resolve the freedom struggles of all people."

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights, scheduled to break ground in late 2011 and open in 2013, will feature permanent collections, timely exhibitions and interactive education opportunities to engage visitors in the historical and current struggle to secure and express human rights. The Center will be located in Atlanta's Pemberton Place adjacent to Centennial Olympic Park, The New World of Coca-Cola and the Georgia Aquarium.

Center CEO, Doug Shipman commented, "The James M. Cox Foundation and Cox Enterprises have been tremendous friends of the effort to build the Center. Their corporate values align with the work we are doing as they have demonstrated with this generous contribution. We are grateful and look forward to bringing the Center to life in short order with continued support from the community."

About the National Center for Civil and Human Rights (cchrpartnership.org)

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights will display The Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection (King Papers), the award-winning Without Sanctuary lynching exhibit and the Benny Andrews John Lewis Collection. The Center will serve as a hub for ongoing dialogue, attracting world-renowned speakers and artists who work on a variety of human rights topics. Located in Downtown Atlanta at Pemberton Place and equipped with broadcast and event space, the Center will host civil and human rights conversations among scholars, organizations and the public.

About The James M. Cox Foundation (coxfoundation.com)

The James M. Cox Foundation is named in honor of Cox Enterprises' founder and provides funding for capital campaigns and special projects in communities where the company operates. James M. Cox was Ohio's first three-term governor and the 1920 Democratic nominee for president of the United States.

About Cox Enterprises (coxinc.com)

Cox Enterprises is a leading communications, media and automotive services company. With revenues of nearly $15 billion and more than 60,000 employees, the company's major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications, Inc. (cable television distribution, telephone, high-speed Internet access, commercial telecommunications and advertising solutions); Manheim, Inc. (vehicle auctions, repair and certification services and web-based technology products); Cox Media Group, Inc. (television and radio stations, digital media, newspapers, advertising sales rep firms, Valpak and Cox Digital Solutions); and AutoTrader.com (online automotive advertising and Kelley Blue Book, vAuto, HomeNet Automotive and Vin Solutions subsidiaries). Additionally, Cox operates Kudzu.com.

SOURCE Cox Enterprises