DAYTON, Ohio, Aug. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Tickets are now available for "Read & Rise: A Tribute to Bessie Coleman." This epic event sponsored by the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce Education and Public Improvement Foundation in conjunction with the air carriers that serve the Dayton International Airport and presented by the National Urban League and State Farm Insurance will feature guest speakers Dr. Maya Angelou and Ms. Oprah Winfrey to benefit the Wright-Dunbar Business Village.

The event, scheduled for 7 p.m. on September 12, 2005, at the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center, will also feature a performance by the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) to be followed by speeches by Dr. Angelou and Ms. Winfrey. "Read & Rise" is a celebration of the significance of both the literary and aviation legacy of Wright-Dunbar.

"We believe this event embodies so many of the elements that epitomize the Wright-Dunbar area," said Bootsie Neal, executive director of the Wright-Dunbar Business Village. "These wonderful entertainers are coming together with a common bond -- honoring Bessie Coleman, the world's first licensed African-American woman pilot. Our hope is that guests leave the Schuster Center filled with inspiration to continue living the legacy that Bessie Coleman, Paul Laurence Dunbar and the Wright Brothers began and that Dr. Angelou and Ms. Winfrey symbolize now."

"We couldn't have asked for a better kick-off to our fund drive," Neal continued. Working together with several key partners, Wright-Dunbar Business Village is bringing economic viability and life back to this unique inner city commercial district. The historic village's commercial corridor has had initial stabilization and facade restorations of five historic buildings.

However, there is a significant funding gap keeping the buildings from being financially viable for high capacity developers. The vision of Wright-Dunbar Business Village is to raise the necessary funding to bridge this gap.

"Dr. Angelou attended our annual Read & Rise Program event last year," said Willie Walker, president of the Dayton Urban League. "We are excited to have her back again this year with Ms. Winfrey."

Bessie Coleman challenged both gender and racial lines to become the first African American to earn a pilot's license. She is a nominee for induction into the National Aviation Hall of Fame, whose board of trustees included the late Eugene B. Conrad A.A.E., former Director of the Department of Aviation Dayton International Airport. "Blair would have been happy to see Bessie getting the honor she deserved. It is fitting that proceeds will benefit the neighborhood that was home to the Wright Brothers," said Sharon Sears, marketing and public relations manager for the Dayton International Airport.

Scheduled for 7 p.m. on September 12, 2005, at the Schuster Center, tickets are now available at the Schuster Center and Victoria Theatre box offices, online at http://www.ticketcenterstage.com or by phone at 937/228-3630 or toll-free at 888/228-3630. Ticket prices range from $50-300.

The National Urban League and State Farm Insurance Read and Rise Program was developed in partnership with Scholastic Inc. specifically for African-American and Latino parents to help children achieve reading success.