On May 7, 2014, USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education will gather in Los Angeles for its 20th Anniversary Ambassadors for Humanity Gala.
To help mark this occasion, the Institute will have the great privilege of welcoming President Barack Obama, who will speak to common values and shared responsibilities in building a brighter future. Institute founder and USC trustee Steven Spielberg will recognize President Obama with the Institute’s highest honor, the Ambassador for Humanity Award for his global efforts to protect human rights, his commitment to education and expanding educational technology, and his work advancing opportunities for all people.
“President Obama’s commitment to democracy and human rights has long been felt,” Spielberg said. “As a constitutional scholar and as president, his interest in expanding justice and opportunity for all is remarkably evident. The president’s recent appointment of the first special envoy for Holocaust Survivor Services in United States history demonstrates his staunch commitment to honoring the past while building a better future. I am extremely grateful to have President Obama join us on this significant milestone of the USC Shoah Foundation.”
USC President C. L. Max Nikias said he was proud of the Institute’s growth since it joined USC in 2006.
“In just two decades, the USC Shoah Foundation has become a vital center for Holocaust and genocide studies, as well as a dynamic partner for advancing education in these areas,” Nikias said. “Thanks to Steven Spielberg’s vision, tenacity and dedication, the foundation’s work is now felt across the world, most importantly among so many young people who learn tolerance and respect through its educational programs. Such humanistic values will surely remain with them throughout their lives—a testament to the foundation’s importance.”
USC Shoah Foundation Executive Director Stephen D. Smith said, “President Obama is a passionate advocate of causes that embody the work of the Institute. We are honored to have his participation at a time when memory is becoming history, and Americans take on the responsibility to remember and act with conscience.”
TNT is once again serving as the Presenting Sponsor, continuing a strong relationship with the institute that has spanned more than a decade.
“The USC Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive is an invaluable tool for promoting tolerance and mutual respect,” said Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks. “The archive provides a vital link to the past through first-person accounts that have the power to inform and inspire. TNT proudly supports this significant 20th Anniversary milestone event and the USC Shoah Foundation’s mission to ensure that the lessons of history will never be forgotten.”
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