A year after the election of America’s first African American president, CNN delves into President Barack Obama’s impact on African American men in a week-long multi-platform partnership with ESSENCE Magazine.  On air and online, CNN will feature discussions on family, education, and healthcare to gauge how and/or if President Obama has impacted this community since the November election, either by actions taken as the commander-in-chief or as a symbol of possibility.  For their November issue, ESSENCE Magazine reached out to a few iconic men to share their reflections about how it feels to be Black and male during this moment, in the age of President Obama, when everything is possible, but nothing is guaranteed.

?             In the CNN Newsroom, Don Lemon moderates a roundtable discussion airing on Saturday, Oct. 31 at 10 p.m. (ET) and Sunday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. (ET).  Conducted at historic Morehouse College, CNN education contributor Dr. Steve Perry, Bishop Eddie Long, author and entrepreneur Farrah Gray, Tyree Simmons (aka DJ Drama) and Morehouse senior Tyrone McGowan reveal their insights into what has changed, if anything, in their lives, families, workplaces and communities in the year since the 2008 presidential election.  Follow Lemon leading up to the roundtable discussion for behind-the-scenes access on CNN.com through the Newsroom blog and other social media platforms.

Tony Harris highlights his interview with radio host Steve Harvey, who wrote a first-person essay “When A Man Loves A Woman” for ESSENCE Magazine, airing on Friday, Nov. 6 starting in the 11 a.m. (ET) hour. 

?             HLN presents a week-long series of interviews beginning Nov. 2 during the 4 p.m. (ET) hour.  Richelle Carey sits down with actor and author Hill Harper on relationships; Harvard University professor and author Dr. Alvin Poussaint on education; and Syracuse University professor Dr. Boyce Watkins on finance; to name just a handful of the featured interviews.

?             On the new CNN.com, CNN, HLN and ESSENCE Magazine take an unprecedented look at President Obama’s impact on black men in America. President Obama has urged black men to take responsibility for their lives and families and he’s called on all Americans to volunteer to help restore their communities, located at http://www.cnn.com/obamaeffect. Has President Obama inspired Americans to take action? What are the challenges still facing black men in America?  Audience members are encouraged to share their thoughts in the discussion through iReport, the network’s user-generated online news community. 

CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.

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For more information, visit www.CNNPressroom.com.

CONTACT:

Bridget Leininger                                 Atlanta                   404.827.1621          bridget.leininger@cnn.com