URI, the world’s largest grassroots interfaith peacebuilding network, will be profiled in the upcoming season of The Visionaries, the award-winning public television series hosted by acclaimed actor Sam Waterston.
San Francisco, CA — 8 October 2020 — URI, United Religions Initiative, will be profiled in the upcoming season of The Visionaries, the award-winning public television series hosted by acclaimed actor Sam Waterston of Netflix’s Grace and Frankie and formerly of HBO’s The Newsroom and NBC’s Law & Order. This season of The Visionaries began airing on PBS stations across the country in the late summer of 2020.
PBS stations across the country will air the 12-part documentary series focused on nonprofit and public service organizations from around the world. Now in its 24th season, The Visionaries will highlight such topics as peacebuilding, and the role religion and belief systems play in conflict transformation by showing the work of URI. URI was selected from hundreds of applicants because of its dual strategy Cooperation Circles (member groups) which combine interreligious bridgebuilding with community-based actions that address the causes of conflict.
“The world is reeling from uncertainty and suffering that we have not experienced in recent generations,” says The Rev. Victor H. Kazanjian, Jr., URI Executive Director. “The URI community elevates hope as it takes on the challenge to heal wounds, bring diverse communities of people together for humanitarian action, and strengthen the foundations for lasting peace.”
“I believe that the central idea of The Visionaries – doing what you can about huge, intractable problems – is an idea worth encouraging,” says actor Sam Waterston, the host of the series.
Jody Santos, Senior Producer at The Visionaries, says, “COVID-19 has helped illustrate some of the stark inequalities our world faces and, more than ever, the critical role nonprofits play in addressing these inequities. Whether it’s fighting for clean water or access to healthcare, the organizations we’re profiling in Season 24 are working to build a stronger, more just society in which no one gets left behind.”
URI’s episode – The Power of Story – is now airing on PBS stations nationwide. It will also be available online at uri.org/inspire, and it will premiere at URI’s Circles of Light virtual gala on October 21, 2020.
About URI
URI (United Religions Initiative) is the largest grassroots interfaith peacebuilding network in the world. It cultivates peace and justice by engaging people to bridge religious and cultural differences and work together for the good of their communities. We implement our mission in 108 countries through local and global initiatives that build the capacity of over 1000 member groups and organizations, called Cooperation Circles, to engage in community action such as conflict resolution and reconciliation, environmental sustainability, education, women’s and youth programs, and advocacy for human rights. URI holds the prestigious distinction of being a non-governmental organization (NGO) with consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and has long-standing partnerships with several other UN agencies.
Learn more at URI.org
About The Visionaries
The Visionaries documentary series, hosted by acclaimed actor Sam Waterston, highlights the rarely told stories of individuals and nonprofit organizations that are working to create positive social change throughout the world. Visionaries, winner of several Telly Awards and Emmy nominations for Best Documentary, has produced over 230 documentaries shot in over 65 countries and all over the US. Visionaries has aired on PBS stations throughout the nation for 23 seasons.
For more information, please visit www.visionaries.org
