Message from

Patricia S. Harrison
Assistant Secretary of State
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs


Following September 11th, the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has worked to increase foreign understanding of U.S. goals; to reach out to more people with accurate information about the United States; to develop a dialogue with Muslim societies.

Immediately following the tragedies in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania, we wanted to take the story of September 11th around the world so that people who could not believe what had happened could see that it did. We began to work with world-renowned photographer Joel Meyerowitz, who was the only photographer allowed on the site of the World Trade Center following September 11th.

Joel took over 5,000 images, and we picked 25 as part of our traveling exhibit. "After September 11: Images from Ground Zero" graphically and emotionally portrays the threat terrorism poses to all nations.

After a year of touring around the world, the exhibit has been shown in over 125 cities and over 65 countries and is still touring. Our posts have worked to provide seminars, dialogues, people-to-people programs promoting ways that people of good will can fight terrorism and, at the same time work as Secretary Powell has said, "As we work to end the scourge of terrorism let us also work to increase peace, prosperity and democracy."

As one young person in Thailand wrote after seeing the photos, "terror is our common enemy." CultureConnect is a way to affirm a common value: education. Through the generosity and commitment of Americans and leaders from business, industry and government in other countries, CultureConnect seeks to provide to the succeeding generation globally access to men and women who have achieved in many fields. For example, Joel Meyerowitz continues to respond to those who want to know how he began as a photographer and how they can follow that path as well.

Our CultureConnect Ambassadors are dedicated to helping young people have hope for their own future through education, preparing them to access opportunity. CultureConnect is a link that allows us to do just that.

Bringing the work of accomplished Americans to the rest of the world in a way that would build understanding and respect and give hope to youth is our objective. CultureConnect brings the strengths of American culture to the world and brings the cultures of the world to America. Joel Meyerowitz, Yo Yo Ma, Denyce Graves, Wynton Marsalis, Mary Wilson, Frank McCourt and Michael Kaiser are all in the inaugural group of U.S. Cultural Ambassadors.

These Ambassadors travel overseas to engage with youth and undertake projects in their areas of accomplishment--clinics, performances, coaching sessions, motivational speeches, teach master classes, and leadership training.

The Ambassadors will also engage with their professional counterparts overseas and help identify a Counterpart Ambassador from one of the countries they visit, who will in turn come to the United States to work with the Ambassador and American youth. Our objective is to build a network of youth and mentors that will produce long lasting relationships across all aspects of culture, including music, theater, sports, and literature.

I hope that you will join us in connecting the world in strong bonds of mutual understanding and respect. I hope that you will join us in CultureConnect.