June 13, 2002

CICELY TYSON, BLAIR UNDERWOOD, QUEEN LATIFAH AND MARIO VAN PEEBLES STAR IN ALEX HALEY'S "MAMA FLORA'S FAMILY," THE EPIC SAGA OF ONE WOMAN'S HEROISM AND UNFLAGGING LOVE FOR HER FAMILY, SET AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF SOME OF THE MOST TURBULENT PERIODS IN AMERICA'S HISTORY, TO BE REBROADCAST JUNE 30 AND JULY 3 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

Erika Alexander ("Living Single") and Shemar Moore ("The Young and the Restless") Also Star in This Special Event Mini-series; Della Reese Makes a Cameo Appearance

MAMA FLORA'S FAMILY, a special event mini-series starring Cicely Tyson, Blair Underwood, Queen Latifah and Mario Van Peebles, which takes up where Alex Haley's renowned "Roots" saga left off, will be rebroadcast on Sunday, June 30 and Wednesday, July 3 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT, each night) on the CBS Television Network. Erika Alexander ("Living Single") and Shemar Moore ("The Young and the Restless") also star in the drama, which spans half a century and explores the challenges faced by matriarch Mama Flora and her family in the middle of the 20th century. Della Reese ("Touched By An Angel") makes a cameo appearance. The mini-series was adapted from the soon-to-be-released novel by Alex Haley and David Stevens, based on a story by Haley, Jon Avnet and Jordan Kerner. (Originally broadcast 11/8/98 and 11/10/98)

MAMA FLORA'S FAMILY reunites multiple Emmy Award-winner Cicely Tyson with executive producers Jon Avnet and Jordan Kerner, with whom she collaborated on both "Fried Green Tomatoes" and the multi award-winning "Heatwave," the story of the Watts riots. She stars as Mama Flora, an African-American woman of modest means, who, through her tenacity, love and great emotional strength, instills the importance of God and family in her loved ones at a time when those ideals are questioned and tested. Flora never backs down from her beliefs as she guides three generations of her family through the ever-changing American black experience through the 1970s.

Her spirit could have been broken by tragic setbacks, which included having her first-born son ripped from her arms and losing her husband, who was shot and killed for stealing cotton to support their new family. But they only succeeded in making Mama Flora stronger. With passion and vigor, Flora infuses her family with her sense of character and values. Sometimes she judges herself harshly, especially in regards to her son Willie (Underwood) and granddaughter Diana (Latifah), but Flora never gives up or relinquishes what she believes is her God-given duty.

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When Mama Flora is later reunited with Luke (Van Peebles), the son who was taken from her, the conflict that develops between him and his half-brother, Willie, threatens to tear the family apart. With Diana's help and through the re-telling of family stories, Mama Flora keeps the family together and emerges as an unsung heroine. As it explores the complex relationships between Mama Flora and her family, set against the backdrop of the racial tension in America during the 20th century, the mini-series has universal appeal -- the tale of one mother's indomitable spirit and the ultimate triumph of love.

Erica Alexander plays Mama Flora in her younger years; Shemar Moore portrays Luke's father, Lincoln Fleming, and Hill Harper plays Diana's brother, Don, as an adult.

MAMA FLORA'S FAMILY is an Avnet/Kerner Production. Jon Avnet (director of "Up Close & Personal" and "Fried Green Tomatoes"), Jordan Kerner (producer of "Fried Green Tomatoes" and "George of the Jungle") and Carol Schreder ("Call To Glory") are executive producers. Peter Werner ("Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story") is directing the mini-series from a script by Carol Schreder and David Stevens (Alex Haley's "Queen"), which was adapted from the novel of the same title by Alex Haley and David Stevens.

RATING: To Be Announced

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Press Contact: Nancy Carr 323/575-2028 nancy.carr@tvc.cbs.com