For Immediate Release, July 2, 2010
Contact:  Lauren Sucher, 202/429-3822
                lsucher@usip.org

(Washington) – On Independence Day, United States Institute of Peace (USIP) president Richard H. Solomon will participate in a panel discussion at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall. Ambassador Solomon and a former staffer of Sen. Matsunaga’s, Suzanne Day, will discuss how World War II veteran, Congressman and then Senator Spark Matsunaga of Hawaii ran a commission that led to the creation of the United States Institute of Peace.

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is honoring Sen. Matsunaga as a celebrated Asian-Pacific American, a cultural group whose heritage is one of this year’s Festival themes. During the panel, Ms. Day will describe how Sen. Matsunaga organized and led the Commission to Establish a United States Academy of Peace, whose work led to the creation of USIP by Congress in 1984.

Following Ms. Day, Amb. Solomon will show how Sen. Matsunaga’s vision has led to an organization that works on violent conflicts around the world including Iraq and Afghanistan; publishes reports and books that develop and enrich the field of peacebuilding; brings together groups who might not ordinarily communicate or coordinate in zones of conflict; delivers training to those who work on the ground; hosts dozens of public events per year on current events; provides scholarships to brings high school students to Washington, D.C. for learning seminars; and provides grants to researchers and organizations around the world. USIP is a nonpartisan,  independent organization funded by Congress that is prohibited from supporting or opposing laws or policies. Its mission is to prevent and end violent international conflict, promote stability after war and professionalize the field of peacebuilding.

Amb. Solomon, president of USIP, said, "Senator Matsunaga was dedicated to his vision of creating an organization of which all Americans, particularly on this Fourth of July holiday, can be proud. The United States Institute of Peace is working on what Senator Matsunaga called America’s greatest interest:  international peace."

Senator Matsunaga’s vision is truly coming to fruition. In the Commission’s proposed bill to create what became USIP, Matsunaga and colleagues asked Congress to set aside funds for a permanent headquarters that would be a symbol of America’s commitment to peace. The bill President Reagan signed to create USIP did not include that provision; next year, USIP will open its permanent headquarters facility at the edge of the National Mall at 23rd St and Constitution Ave., NW. The building’s location and architecture including a winglike glass roof will indeed remind all visitors that peace is an American priority.

Read a summary of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival session on Senator Matsunaga