Programs and Events
Live Viewing of President 0bama's Speech at American Center
June 4, 2009
President Obama’s speech offered the perfect capstone for this year’s pre-departure orientation for Seeds of Peace campers gathered in Mumbai. Along with their parents and Seeds alumni, these high-school-age youth were stirred and inspired. The Seeds were joined by invited media, youth exchange participants, local religious and community leaders, students, and poets. Following the speech, Kamal Hasaan, Editor-in-Chief of Sahafat Daily, and Elizabeth Kauffman, American Center Director, led the audience in a discussion. Mr. Hasaan described the speech as one of the best he had ever heard—he noted that the President did not sound like the usual leader of a powerful country, but rather a historian, a humanist, and a messenger of hope. He hoped listeners around the world would agree to not be prisoners of the past.