FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEW YORK, NY—October 30, 2024—Khaliah Ali, Jason Flom, and Trevor Noah were among the acclaimed entertainment industry leaders headlining the Young Audiences Arts for Learning 2024 Annual Benefit Gala on October 22. Held at the Bowery Hotel in Manhattan, the event raised critical funds for arts-integrated education nationwide.
Founded in 1952, Young Audiences Arts for Learning serves more than five million students in classrooms and communities each year, providing essential access to the arts. The nonprofit organization, the first to receive the National Medal of Arts from the White House, integrates music, dance, theatre, visual arts, and more into core subject areas like math, science, and reading, to drive student engagement and academic success.
Awards and Performances:
The evening included the presentation of the inaugural National Arts for Learning Awards in recognition of honorees' profound contributions to a more equitable future.
- Khaliah Ali, daughter of global icon Muhammad Ali, and Jason Flom, founder of LAVA Media and host of the "Wrongful Conviction" podcast, received the first National Arts for Learning Award for Visionary Leadership & Impact for their decades of humanitarian service and unwavering dedication to a more just society.
- Trevor Noah, Emmy Award-winning comedian, bestselling author, and former host of The Daily Show, will receive the Award for Artistic Inspiration and Empowerment. He appeared onstage in conversation with acclaimed author Jacqueline Woodson.
- The evening also featured a live performance showcasing talents of nine young musicians from a Young Audiences arts-integrated public charter school in Greater New Orleans.
Young Audiences Arts for Learning is the nation's largest arts-in-schools provider, serving over five million students and families throughout rural, suburban, and urban communities. The organization is committed to delivering an equitable, arts-filled education that affirms every child's potential, regardless of race, geography, ability, or socioeconomic background. Through integrating the arts in non-arts subject areas, Young Audiences Arts for Learning fosters lifelong curiosity, empathy, and joy in young people by inspiring them and expanding their learning through the arts.
"Tonight's honorees remind us of the arts' incredible ability to educate, inspire, and empower," said David A. Dik, National Executive Director of Young Audiences Arts for Learning. "Our ever-evolving work is grounded in delivering the countless benefits and joys that the arts can bring to students, but also in the core belief that all young people deserve access to a well-rounded education inclusive of the arts. "
"I genuinely, genuinely believe that [the arts] should be of the most mandatory lessons," said honoree Trevor Noah. "When it comes to learning, with great organizations like Young Audiences, the main thing to keep in mind that learning itself has always evolved and can always evolve and should always evolve."
Khaliah Ali, author, activist, and humanitarian, continues her father Muhammad Ali's legacy of community service. Her work spans education, child hunger, animal welfare, and justice reform. She serves on the boards of the Juvenile Law Center, the National Public Housing Museum, Street Soccer USA, and Help USA.
Jason Flom, former Chairman and CEO of Atlantic Records, Virgin Records, and Capitol Music, launched the careers of major artists like Katy Perry and Lorde. As a founding board member of the Innocence Project, Flom has helped exonerate over 250 wrongly convicted individuals.
Trevor Noah is an Emmy-winning comedian, political commentator, and author of the bestselling memoir Born a Crime. Formerly the host of The Daily Show, Noah is also known as an advocate for global education. His latest book, Into the Uncut Grass, which debuted as a #1 New York Times bestseller, is a fable about childhood imagination and discovery.
Contact:
For more information about the event, visit youngaudiences.org/gala or contact David Falk, Chief Development and Communications Officer, at (212) 831-8110 or davidf@ya.org.
To learn more about Young Audiences Arts for Learning and its national network, please visit youngaudiences.org.
