ESSENCE & Southern Company Host Event Honoring Congresswoman Barbara Lee

NEW YORK,  -- ESSENCE & Southern Company are partnering to host a special awards reception as part of the 2009 Congressional Black Caucus weekend to commemorate the achievements of today's most influential politicians and architects of change. The program will honor the accomplishments of The Honorable Congresswoman Barbara Lee with the Advocate Award; Musician & Activist Dr. Henry Panion, III with the Civic & Cultural Advancement Award; Morehouse College President Robert M. Franklin, Jr. with the Hope Award; and CNN Washington Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux as Journalist of the Year.

Hosted by Access Hollywood correspondent Shaun Robinson, this invitation-only event will take place on Friday, September 25 in Washington, DC at the Reagan International Trade Center and will culminate with a celebration featuring DJ D-Nice and an exclusive performance by multi-platinum recording artist, songwriter and musicianRaphael Saadiq.

"ESSENCE is pleased to partner with Southern Company to celebrate African-American achievement during the important occasion of the annual Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Conference and highlight these outstanding role models for their important work as activists, pioneers and public servants," said ESSENCE Editor-in-Chief Angela Burt-Murray. "Representative Lee, Dr. Panion, Dr. Franklin and Ms. Malveaux are exceptional leaders with the power to make a difference in our nation's civic life and we proudly salute them."

"At Southern Company, we've identified three areas we believe are critical to our people being successful - unquestionable trust, superior performance and total commitment," said Chris Womack, President, External Affairs. "I can't think of any better words to describe those being honored here, and we're excited about the opportunity to be a part of this occasion."

About Essence Communications Inc.:

Essence Communications Inc. (ECI) is the leading media and communications company dedicated to African-American women. With a multi-platform presence in publishing, live events, and online, the Essence brand is "Where Black Women Come First". The company's flagship publication, ESSENCE magazine, is the preeminent lifestyle magazine for African-American women; generating brand extensions such as the Essence Music Festival, Women Who Are Shaping the World Leadership Summit, Window on Our Women (WOW I & II) and Smart Beauty I, II & III consumer insights, the Essence Book Club, Essence.com, and ventures in digital media (mobile, television and VOD). For 39 years, ESSENCE, which has a brand reach of over 8 million, has been the leading source of cutting-edge information relating to every area of African-American women's lives. Additional information about ECI and ESSENCE is available at essence.com.

About Southern Company:

With 4.4 million customers and more than 42,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the Southeast. A leading U.S. producer of electricity, Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states -- Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi -- and a growing competitive generation company, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are below the national average. Southern Company is consistently listed among the top U.S. electric service providers in customer satisfaction by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Visit our Web site at www.southerncompany.com.