FUSION Named Exclusive Media Partner of Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards

The Muhammad Ali Center today announced that Fusion will serve as the exclusive media partner for the 2016 Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards. Fusion is a multi-platform media company that champions a diverse, inclusive America with content that informs, provokes, and entertains. The 2016 Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards will take place in Louisville, KY on Saturday, September 17, 2016. Louisville is the home of Muhammad Ali and the Muhammad Ali Center.

The Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards, an annual gala-style event, produced by the Muhammad Ali Center, celebrates and recognizes individuals around the world who are passionate in their dedication to innovative social justice issues in local and global communities. Six of the awardees are 30 years of age, or younger, and hail from all over the world. The Awards are also unique because they are borne out of Muhammad's six core principles- confidence, conviction, dedication, giving, respect, and spirituality-and will help ensure that other millennials like themselves have role models to look up to and be empowered by in order to generate positive impact in their own communities.

"FUSION is committed to elevating diverse voices who are fearless, passionate, and eager to make the world a better and more just place. Throughout his life, Muhammad Ali used his iconic status to do that -- proving our society is stronger when people stand up and make their voices heard," said FUSION's SVP of Social Impact Chad Boettcher. "We are thrilled to shine a light on the positive social impact Muhammad Ali has had throughout his life as well as those who are keeping his legacy alive everyday by not settling and always thinking big."

"Having Fusion as an exclusive media partner helps the Muhammad Ali Center reach a diverse, young, and socially conscience global audience," said Donald Lassere, President and CEO of the Center. "Our younger generation is the catalyst for positive change needed in all corners of the globe. The Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards borne out of Muhammad's six core principles-confidence, conviction, dedication, giving, respect, and spirituality- highlight the humanitarian work of individuals who are fighting to make our global community better for all. The Muhammad Ali Center, together with these global humanitarians and Fusion will provide a greater awareness of what one person can do to positively impact the world, no matter their age or circumstance from which they come."

As the exclusive media partner, Fusion will produce a six-part digital series about Muhammad Ali's life and legacy leading up to the 2016 Humanitarian Awards, profiles about all the honorees and their contributions, and a primetime television special. This series of reports will run across FUSION's TV, digital, social, and OTT platforms as well TheRoot.com, the number one news and culture site for African Americans. This global exposure helps raise awareness of the Awards and also shines a spotlight on individual award recipients and the humanitarian work they do.

The Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards also pay tribute to more "seasoned" humanitarians, such as President Jimmy Carter, Jim Brown, and Harry Belafonte for their lifetime achievements; Christina Aguilera for her work to alleviate world hunger; and two-time SXSW Interactive Innovation Awardee Mick Ebeling, for his technical innovations for real-world problems. Past awardees also include Michael Bolton for his work in the area of gender equality and Common for his commitment to education through the Common Ground Foundation. Academy Award-winning Actor, Geena Davis was honored in 2015 for her tireless advocacy of gender equality in media. Rose Mapendo, a SURVIVOR of the ethnic violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the early 1990s, received a Gender Equality Award for her Foundation that provides resources for women back home to rebuild their lives. Susan Sarandon was the 2014 Global Citizenship recipient.

Tickets to the general public are available for purchase from June 1 through September 9, 2016. For event sponsorship information, table purchases, or more about the Awards, visit www.alicenter.org/awards.

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