Houston —Wednesday, July 2 is the 50^th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act by President Lyndon Johnson.

With that in mind, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) joins with eight Houston theatre companies and Academy- and Emmy-Award-winning actor Louis Gossett, Jr. to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act and honor six of Houston’s civil rights heroes at an unprecedented event entitled Houston in Concert Against Hate: A Theatre Tribute to American Civil Rights taking place on November 13, 2014 at The Hobby Center.

Please join ADL and representatives of participating theatres and organizations for a news conference  at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, July 2, in the Zilkha Hall lobby of the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, 800 Bagby, Houston, TX, 77002, to celebrate this historic anniversary and kick off Houston in Concert Against Hate.

The Civil Rights Heroes who will be honored include Benny Agosto, Jr., Allen Becker, Dr. Edith Irby Jones, Dr. Renu Khator, Legacy Community Health Services and Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory School of Houston.

Participating theatres and organizations include: Alley Theatre, Asia Society, Celebration Theatre, Main Street Theater, Stages Repertory Theatre, Talento Bilingue de Houston, The Ensemble Theatre, Theatre Under the Stars, and University of Houston School of Theatre and Dance.

For more information on tickets or sponsorships, go to the Concert website.

For more information or to set up a separate interview, call Dena Marks at 713-627-3490, ext. 234, or on her cell at 832-567-8843.