Remember Me Exhibit to receive national honor for citizen diplomacy

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Baltimore -- The U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy (USCCD) has chosen the LWR-sponsored exhibit "Remember Me: Voices of the Silenced in Colombia" as a top citizen diplomacy program. "Remember Me" is an interactive exhibit that gives a unique and deeply personal voice to the decades-long conflict in Colombia. Through testimonies, artifacts and pictures, visitors to the gallery experience the violence and loss that has plagued the people of Colombia over the past 50 years."Lutheran World Relief is proud to bring ‘Remember Me' to people across the U.S. and honored that the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy is recognizing this powerful exhibit," says John Nunes, LWR's president and CEO.The exhibit will be honored during the USCCD-hosted Summit for Global Citizen Diplomacy next month in Washington. As a part of the summit, Annalise Romoser, LWR's director for public policy and advocacy, will give a short presentation on the exhibit."‘Remember Me' gives U.S. citizens the valuable opportunity to advocate for those who have been silenced by violence in Colombia," Romoser said. "It serves as a bridge between victims who long for recognition in Colombia and Americans who have the power to advance U.S. policies that will better serve Colombia." The USCCD, established in 2006, promotes opportunity for all Americans to be citizen diplomats and affirms the indispensable value of citizen involvement in international relations. USCCD will present the summit in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs."Remember Me" is one of 10 winners in the area of development assistance. Other winning organizations include Heifer International, National Peace Corps Association, World Relief, Amigos de Las Americas, Plan USA, Opportunity International, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Citizens Network for Foreign Affairs and National Committee on United State-China Relations. The competition encouraged creative use of new technologies and the identification of international partnerships. Each submission focused on major global challenges that Americans can address as citizen diplomats working collaboratively with fellow American and international partners. LWR worked with Colombian partner organizations to gather the stories and testimonies that serve as the basis for "Remember Me," as a way to engage Lutherans in the U.S. and serve as a call to action to advocate for more effective U.S. policy in Colombia.  The exhibit opened April 18, 2010 in Minneapolis, and has since been traveling across the Midwest. The exhibit will continue to travel in the U.S. through 2012.This exhibit was the first of its kind for LWR, integrating art, collective memory and social action to promote advocacy efforts in the U.S. To learn more about the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy, or the U.S. Summit for Global Citizen Diplomacy, visit uscenterforcitizendiplomacy.org. To learn more about the "Remember Me" exhibit visit remember.lwr.org.