For More Information:
NEA Communications: 202 822-7200

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 27, 2000

News Release

Superstar Morgan Freeman to Chair NEA's Read Across America

"At home, at school, at work, at play, reading is part of every day"

Washington, D.C. -- Morgan Freeman, star of the current hit movie Nurse Betty, as well as the American classic Driving Miss Daisy, will be behind the wheel as chairperson of the National Education Association's (NEA) Read Across America for 2001, it was announced today.

NEA President Bob Chase said: "NEA is honored to have someone of Morgan Freeman's caliber lend his talent and voice to Read Across America. His willingness to carve out time from an already hectic schedule to make room for reading will be an inspiration to the millions of teachers, librarians, parents, and students of all ages who have made NEA's Read Across America one of the nation's premier literacy events."

Freeman's career as a character actor began, appropriately enough, as "Easy Reader," a role he created for the widely acclaimed PBS series The Electric Company in the 1970s. Since then his award-winning career has included roles with the New York Shakespeare Festival, on Broadway, on television, and in movies.

Freeman says that the "Easy Reader" character "holds a special place in my heart not only because of the creative opportunity it offered, but because of the chance the role gave me to promote the joy of reading and the importance of literacy. I am happy to have that chance again with my role in NEA's Read Across America."

Celebrated every March 2 since 1998, NEA's Read Across America commemorates the birthday of Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) and calls attention to the critical role of reading in the lives of adults and students alike.

Playing off that theme, Freeman says on a soon-to-be released Read Across America public service spot, "At home, at school, at work, at play, reading is part of every day."

The Dr. Seuss classic "Oh, the Places You'll Go," provides the theme for this year's Read Across America celebration and invites readers of all ages to travel through the world of books to new and exciting adventures. Reading challenges, read-a-thons, writing contests, skits, plays, and thousands of other reading-related events will take place on March 2 in schools and libraries in cities and towns across the nation. Last year, more than 25 million children, teenagers, and adults participated in Read Across America activities.

For more information about NEA's Read Across America, visit our website at www.nea.org/readacross.

# # #
The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support personnel, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers.