Speeches and Remarks

The Pegasus Players Present
“My Soul is a Witness”
Introductory remarks by Elizabeth Kauffman,
American Center Director
University of Mumbai,
August 15, 2007

Congratulations, India, on 60 years of Independence!

Congratulations to the University of Mumbai on your 150 years of history!

It is a great pleasure to be collaborating with the Professor Kendre and the Theatre Arts Department and with Vice-Chancellor Dr. Khole here at the University of Mumbai.  Our Declaration of Independence in 1776 promised liberty and justice for all, but it was not the end of our struggle for freedom.  It was a beginning. 

For more than two centuries, Americans have struggled:  in homes, neighborhoods, schools, churches, workplaces, parks, radio shows, courtrooms, and, sadly, even battlefields—to fulfill the promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for ALL of our citizens.  Less than 60 years ago.  The United States had no African-American cabinet members, no women or people of color running for president or sitting on the Supreme Court.  Back then, in parts of our country, citizens of color could not even study, eat a meal, ride a bus, hold a job, or vote in the same ways that so-called “whites” could.  They were not free to follow their dreams.  What changed?  Who changed history? 

Ladies and Gentlemen, from Chicago, Illinois, and New York, New York, the Pegasus Players present “My Soul is a Witness.”