Sprint Presents 'An Evening to Remember' with Legendary Civil Rights Advocate Xernona Clayton KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of Sprint's continuing effort to encourage an open discussion on diversity and inclusion, the company is proud to serve as the presenting sponsor of The Art of Connections' event "Sprint Presents an Evening to Remember with Xernona Clayton and Friends" on Friday, Feb. 27, at the historic Gem Theater in Kansas City, Mo. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001013/SPRINTLOGO ) Xernona Clayton, a civil rights advocate and award-winning journalist, will bring her unique personal stories to life to increase the audience's appreciation for racial equality and diversity. Clayton will discuss her close working relationship with Martin Luther King, Jr., during the civil-rights movement and her experiences as a journalist, author and speaker. "In honor of Black History Month and our commitment to embrace diversity and inclusion in our community, Sprint is pleased to sponsor the kick-off of Ms. Xernona Clayton's national tour 'An Evening with Xernona and Friends,'" said Ralph Reid, director of Corporate Relations for Sprint. This event is part of The Art of Connections' ongoing "Living History Series" education and enrichment program to promote positive race relations and diversity awareness in the Kansas City community. Friday, Feb. 27 Event Schedule 10 - 11:30 a.m. Youth Fest at The Gem Theater, 1615 E. 18th St., Kansas City, Mo. Xernona Clayton will meet with 300 local high school students to discuss their role in understanding racial differences and promoting diversity. Clayton will also encourage and motivate student to be their own engineer and to be persistent in pursuing education and supporting their community. 6 - 7 p.m. Black Tie pre-reception at the American Jazz Museum 7 p.m. "Sprint Presents an Evening to Remember with Xernona Clayton and Friends" at The Gem Theater Event to promote diversity awareness in the Kansas City community and provide attendees an opportunity to support The Art of Connections' scholarship fund for local youth. Clayton will be available for media interviews from 7:00 a.m.to 9:45 a.m. on Feb. 27. Media also are invited to attend the Youth Fest event. Please contact the media contacts listed to schedule a time. About Sprint Sprint is a global integrated communications provider serving more than 26 million customers inover 100 countries. With approximately 67,000 employees worldwide and over $26 billion in annual revenues in 2003, Sprint is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying state-of-the-art network technologies, including the United States'first nationwide all- digital, fiber-optic network and an award-winning Tier 1 Internet backbone. Sprint provides local communications services in 39 states and the District of Columbia and operates the largest 100-percent digital, nationwide PCS wireless network in the United States. For more information, visit http://www.sprint.com/. About Art of Connection The Art of Connections is an organization whose purpose is to provide the Kansas City community with positive race relations and diversity awareness through "Living History" education and enrichment presented in various art forms. This ongoing effort will serve as an educational tool for our youth through programming and funding of scholarships for high school students. The Art of Connection's nine member team originated and resides in the Kansas City community. For more information, contact Gary or Anita Maltbia by phone at 816-822-0246 or by e-mail at . About Xernona Clayton Xernona Clayton is a civil-rights advocate, award-winning journalist, author, speaker and corporate executive. Dedicated to promoting racial understanding, Ms. Clayton worked as an advisor to the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his wife. Ms. Clayton is the creator and executive producer of Turner Broadcasting's Trumpet Awards, a prestigious event highlighting African-American accomplishments and contributions. She also created the Generation Connection, an education incentive program for high school students. Beginning her broadcast career in 1967, she became the South's first Black person to have her own show. Xernona Clayton selected Kansas City as the community to kick-off her national tour. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001013/SPRINTLOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Sprint CONTACT: Jennifer Bosshardt, +1-913-794-1130, , or Angie Makkyla, +1-913-794-3606, , both of Sprint, or Anita Maltbia of The Art of Connection, +1-816-822-2004, Web site: http://www.sprint.com/

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