is that we as muslims in america to have an impact of that culture because if we don't, then i will stop because i can feel you but this is important to me. that we thank all of our problems are solved with politics. but the culture of the society in which we live does not change them to apply those rights in the way it sees it not the way we see fit. so i want to read you something. something that haunts me.

have famous german philosopher that you have weeder is i cannot find their. maybe i just have to paraphrase. it is europe's duty to prepare a the way for when the good european comes into possession with that destiny but to supervise that universal culture of the world. to talk about the r&d musec -- but muslims have to understand here in america

cultural production has to include the intellectual effort them rearranges aspect of their broader culture of america because only in that way can we get americans to see themselves and us differently to understand all of this is a part of cultural production. i will stop there. [applause] >> up next we have the of founder of the of college and several mosques truck unit of states as a longtime advocate of backyard organic gardening is a suitable living such as banning the use of plastic bottle water

it has written extensively in active with the number of organizations with islamic relief of the united kingdom. our question tonight is you have often been noted as someone who was critical of cultural trends particularly after a poll of that:cited with what came out. could do a liberated -- elaborate the way that it to be muslim and american. [speaking native language]

one you have to read knowledge there are many different ways to define culture i would begin to look get this question through another definition talking about the end of his comments as the sum total of power transmitted behavior. so in that sense it is sometimes broken down to the

lovell of symbols and the of words symbols or hero's and rituals such as prayer and fasting one of their great rituals of our region and then values and those for mercery are sometimes seen as an expression of a certain extent our society is transmitting behavior's and inputs that influence

behavior's to us. some can be categorized as distinctly islamic for those of us who are muslim particularly those who converted the for those who have it but then to become a practicing muslim as born into muslim families. i was born and raised here america i did not drop in the muslim neighborhood but that it transmitted as as it

could be categorized then there is the gray area to transmit to us the islamic but it is implied and then to say those things that are distinctly lawful are clear. and between those two extremes there are doubtful matters most people do not know the of role concerning those. to go back to the questions

that is where a child and thereat -- trial and error comes into place. this is where it is fleshed out in the sense to live in the context of a society transmitting data are clearly not islamic or fall into the gray area. but then to go on to say. [speaking native language] if.

>> give one was able to avoid those things many times we either consciously or unconsciously adopt a lot of this thing is in the grey area and they become challenges to our religion or a broader. our challenges twofold on to those things that is our challenge is very difficult in these days and times to be shown everything that would be led challenges that muslims would face so he

said. [speaking native language] at the end of time they're called days of patients -- patience but here is the new saturn clearly islamic to be able to pray five times of day or to return to the quran on a regular basis is like holding on to a burning ember because of the many challenges but the record of one who continues to practice is like the reward of 50 men from us or from

among some the reward of 50 companion's why such a great reward with difficulty of holding on? it requires with the collective wisdom not anyone sets of the collective wisdom employ it on our scholars we're called to resort chiru to obey the law or the messenger. [speaking native language] those who have political authority and in us dollars. so this is a process that

takes time and is the process where in my estimation it is best to be on the side of caution because once some things are abandoned it is hired to get them back sometimes it is difficult to get rid of them has the community we are first and foremost, a religious community. our first and primary concern is to help other people to get to paradise. the primary concern is not this world we have a worldly concerns it is beautifully expressed and i will stop here, in the words of the quran that is mentioned that after mentioning the

importance tears streisand assert ourselves the consequence of that struggle with the sacrifices your sins will be forgiven. [speaking native language] and into where rivers flow. in into the beautiful homes of the gardens of even. -- garden of eden. but it is not just something this help with the spd victory to give tidying stews of believers as a

community which try to struggle to negotiate our way with our various cultural context the path that leads to paradise that is the difficult process we are so traumatized to figure it out to allow ourselves the proper time and space to work get out sometimes that takes generations and sometimes we try to do it in to three weeks or in response to the latest facebook controversy. we have to set back and relax.

and to engage in this process of trial and error but we should be cognitive many of the filters that provide us with the parameters to gauge what we will except and what we will reject that those filters are provided by the quran as the enduring sources of guidance that allows a distinctive community culturally and others to racists in this world over 1400 years and if we respect those filters and as it talks about the challenges of the post modern world. [speaking native language] of. [applause]

>> just a reminder we are on twitter if you have comments you would like to add ridicule have disagreements if you have question is put them out there. bethsaida is off limits we adults as possible. as reid finished with our scholarly panelist now we will start with the co-founder of unity production vans foundation and a coke executive producer of the upcoming pbs documentary. the story that will air snatched nationally to tell the story of love a woman who'd defies the gestapo his other films include the legacy of the of profit

season of light and islamic art. these homes have been seen by an estimated audience 150 million people worldwide and those that have reached 25,000 classrooms and libraries. so people often think of culture and what we see in the media the osama american and values but what is the reality is the programming we see today a reflection of society had reintegrate our own values in to what we see? >> so a first grade teacher was trying to you, down her class after recess.

she looked out at the busy class's he's a little girl standing by her desk to say what did you do during recess? she says i played in the sandbox. that is so bird of the week can you spell it? >> stand. very good go put a gold star next your name. said teacher sees the little boy who is being rambunctious what did you do during recess? i was playing in the sandbox with sally. box is a word can you spell it? >> the stars to struggle and cannot find the next letter

he - - and she says it is tricky. go put a star next year game. but now she sees another the little boy he sits with his head down and he looks dejected in she says what did you do during restart -- recess? he said i wanted to play in the sandbox with a without levy they kept saying i should go back to where i came from and she said that's terrible that's awful that is racial discrimination can you spell blatant racial discrimination? [laughter] that is a story and it seems to express something truthful about the muslim experience that if it was

out there and heard it and understood you could not look the same way it gets to the question then would like to return on its head because i would assert that storytelling is not really about reflecting society it is about making society talking about culture and perceptions it comes in the ways that stories are told. think of all the ways your impacted by stories almost every hour of your day you wake up in the morning or turn on the radio you go to work or communicate in stories you want to express your feelings to tell a story then have to tell all

the stories you read books and watch tv then you sleep that night and dream. there always with us. in fact, cognitive neuroscience is believe our sense of self of our brain tells us to make sense of reality to know what facts not to let in or ignore to decide what is a friend or foe. we should reflect on that. it really means they are the most powerful force of cuban affairs and when dr. jackson was talking about that way because of the stories that get told and story telling functions to save their

characters or there is a plot the type that we cast muslims and but how their cast by others and i would like 2.0 with all the news reports with isil to reflect on the idea that some ethnic groups some regions a few weeks ago when we were concerned about the children coming from central america nobody looked that situation through the lens of the us drug cartel but the people victimized the when it comes to muslims typically we look at those stories through the lens of the perpetrator

those are the ones that matter i saw the headline today written by somebody who was arguing what we should do with syria and iraq and the headline was the most terrible people on earth referring to isil but another headline could have said the most victimized people who were living under terrible conditions for a long time the hell we cast those stories and the plot many times it doesn't even include muslims. the story about a world war ii hero of muslim who's fought the nazis and died in dachau.

this came to pass because three years ago i was attending a conference with other filmmakers and this is the 70th anniversary of the d-day invasion. well at this conference there was discussion of these filmmakers about the films they wanted to make about world war ii. not a single person mentioned muslims and that did not surprise me because i never heard of any story involving muslims in any way. but then a surprising thing happened. we were screening of film and we heard a story told about someone whose relative who was jewish state by a muslim family and that was

shocking so it's easier to do back-to-back stories to find out there are the three tents are hundreds of stories just in paris mike algerian immigrants appalling to the resistance. the franco muslim hospital that shot down at a british airman and was awarded a medal of honor by president eisenhower after the '04. and let me ask this question was the largest volunteer group enrolled or to? -- world war ii? >> the indians served in the war across all fields of combat and one was the last time he saw a brown face

person in in the documentary about world war ii? i bet he never. >> [inaudible] >> exactly. part of it is also loth of plot to we include people or not in storytelling? so i would say it is not so much reflecting the reality but how much are our stories shape being a the perception of reality? that is what we should be asking ourselves and in answer to that is not very much. not enough at all. i will tell you why i think that is the case. about six years ago i had a

little panel where i basically made this same topic and i was on fire. help their and yelling at the audience getting big responses from 300 people. muslims need to tell their own stories they need to be in the arts and the media so encourage all your children to go into the yards -- arts nothing. also a story that we tell ourselves that has great power what is valuable and what is not do we really encourage those to take risks or make mistakes but to try to add that muslim

narrative? that is the only way those cultural things in our brain that notion of who we are will change. lonely change when we tell our story in compelling ways. we have to encourage that we have to give space to experiment and try so in that expansion is the perception of muslims in this culture all they that can begin to change. thank you. [applause] >> thank you brother alex up next summer and actively to

produce popular consumption a highly respected hip-hop artist speaker and activist from minneapolis. his resume includes six albums and mentor ship with legends and performances of late-night talk shows and keynote speaker at the nobel peace prize for a record in working on his first literary offering tackling the topics discussed in his speaking engagements and workshops. now the question i posed is the lyrics you write and perform are different than the of modern pop star but there still seems to be of lack of appreciation for this expression tell us tell this court can heal the muslim communities to bring

them together. [speaking native language] speaking of stories start with the question and you are right there is a lack of appreciation and recognition. i am very outweighed by everybody on this panel would i bring as my experience is that across the board and around the world the reality of white supremacy one of the most evil aspects is that it existed the non-white people and becomes a dominant narrative him part of the overall systems of domination that we face this

last time across the board of economic and cultural and one of the things we say is everything that comes from white people the most precious and acceptable to the white ways of being and expressing but on the other side that practice is not important or legitimate or valuable not to be honored or appreciated. this is my experience has a muslim american vendor european raised by black people directly. not figuratively. and raised by the black muslim community and to in an amazing incredibly him

retching environment then set out into the world with everything i have been given to navigate the world as it is that when i got out of that i started to realize the lack of appreciation we have an idea of a legitimate american who is not.

with any saying that we have that white people appreciate we celebrate and a jump for joy when we have a white person express and a beautiful way some of our amazing. . . it was for a short time, but it was a reality. muslims were save there when they weren't safe, black people. this particular leader became

muslim. when that leader passed away he stood. also, the voice, me a lot be pleased with them, something we hear a lot and think a lot about, just a voice, the sound that comes out of his mouth and the idea of his black voice has been cheapened and tell me believe it's more of them because he had a good voice. but when the profit was in paradise hear footsteps in front of him and ask to is that? and he said it was a blow out, make allah be pleased with him. this is just the sound that comes from the throne but emanates from a spiritual state fair in the spiritual reality will superior in america we are starting to get used to the idea that we don't cone black people

any more but we still think we on everything they create culturally and spiritually and human terms. nobody ever in the history of america with presses their rights as a human being without using the language that was created by the black liberation movement says. this is true for that deal bt. i've noticed this with people who are brown and american dollars after wrestle with that. when they get into a space where they have to really wrestle with the fact that man out white, who they go to for guidance? where did they go to learn how about the white? the go the hip-hop. they use these expressions.

in america, so many enslaved africans were brought to these shores, some were sold, but many were stolen. among them are greece dollars booker t. washington comes from abu burkhart. bailey to by frederick douglass came from an individual who was degrees, it. unborn among these people are descendants. people like a blue car says, may allah be pleased with them. and these people, you're a movie that you made about it was incredible. and may allah reward you for that. and without any significant

campaign, the first people on these shores to desire, to reach, to really risk their lives and give their lives to establish, the people to whom -- saw fit to give his religion and make yet again the vanguard and the protectors and the guardians , to literally make america safe for allah were the children of enslaved african and black africa. i don't know how many of us really discuss this, how much this is really seen. there was a miraculous event where people have been striving to learn is lot for so long. he became the leader of the nation of islam, and it's very significant that i was in dearborn today, and this is the largest community of muslim in

america, primarily arab and asian muslims. why were they safe to establish here? when we talk about what americans think, were not talking about african-americans because african-americans love and respect is of. even if not all of them want to be a muslim, when you're in the black community and say you're a muslim, if you really live that you're respected, treated with respect to my given deference. the respected thing. tweeted one time. and the one place in america where it's safe to be a muslim in the. this is our got the name. my friends were dying, selling drugs to prevent from that generation or my friends sold crack teach others parents. this is our life that we have. and hip-hop, saved us, save

airlines. when i became a muslim and i was scared to live in this reality, my friends are dying, they get shot ahead. and when i wanted to change my life and didn't know how to do it and became a muslim, this is i got the name. when i would come around and the planned as they put their best buy in the back. the announcement that we around brother ali. let's make the world was a place . if mom and, may allah be pleased with him, he was born in detroit . why would the muslim safe? this is a chocolate city income of black city who is being boycotted because of the black power the day after. my where the muslim safe here? martin luther king of his last

words, the last words that he spoke publicly, we knew he was going to be assassinated. i like to live a long life. longevity has its place, but that didn't matter. a just want to do god's will. and then he was murdered. the bill that allowed for non-white immigrants to start coming to america in big numbers , brown muslims started coming to america. this was preceded by the civil rights bill. the language and the president, because this to happen. on muslim african-americans made america a safer place. when those people stand up for civil rights and for human rights in this context this is the language there were using. but my experience when i go places -- in to get back very quickly, they had a notion of allah that a lot of us don't recognize as being part of our tradition. i was just with minister

farrakhan not too long ago, and the way he explained to me made sense. regardless of how we feel about him, i sat with him, and he expressed his love and taught for three hours. and he expressed his love and his desire to move his community . as a little kid when he was very high among relating to the story , or not understanding you properly. please bless us to understand properly. within one year, almost half a million people converted to islamic orthodoxy. this is a miracle in the shores of america. why is this not in our story? why their children not know this is the legacy that we inherit? why do we not see these people

as our predecessors? why do we not see this community and not only the great scholars that we have that we can pass to represent all of los,. so when we talk about muslim to mind just very torn up. schizophrenia can in the ship because it's just as plain as day to me which is my limit is everything. we are missing output on our humanity. this idea of white supremacy separates us from our humanity. that's what it does. franklin i better. and a profit mohammad addressed

specifically. also he adjusted specifically in his farewell. and in our beautiful scholars -- and i love all of them so much, addressing this. being very, very specific about administering -- what they call it when you have a disease in it to you have the disease? diagnosing. this seems like environmental issue, the food we're eating, things like -- all of these things are very specific about it. may allah bless them for that. but how are we able to have this conversation pretending that white supremacy is a parcel of this modern world. we don't look at the son to know what time it is pretty look:00 the tells us what time it is in england. that's how we know what time it

is. and i don't not -- i just learned how to measure. my wife, they told her how the measure for what time. i did not do that. i was looking at an act on my phone that to me by that calendar according to what time it is in europe. what time. and so this is just we're missing out on one of the most, if not the most significant and important realities and wealth of strength and wisdom. i don't know the words. i know what i feel i must recognize. we're missing out on a community . we talk about -- thank god. i feel like malcolm gave me. he predicted. he predicted you.

mountain predicted you. he said, european americans would study islam they could be cured from the white. he predicted this. but he didn't come out of vacuum. [applause] he did not just send that of know where, there's a community of people who inspired him and he made his life matter. so when he spoke of was not just in speaking. there were men and women on the ground is irene allah and living their lives and ready to die for it in the head, and the slump. people who worked on drugs copying and pooping all of the basement until the decline. putting them in the shower and teaching them that your original languages is law, arabic, and your muslim. this is what made america safe for muslim. that is what struck me. thank you. [applause]

>> thank you very much. so something the kind of ties and cut to what we have heard so far from the panelists. it's great. we have all these ideas of what is going on with the culture. they're seems to be a huge disconnect between the generation, lot of those folks have not known life for the internet. they socialize and interact online. lots of self-made facebook. and then there's this whole new trend. someone gets some many followers and of a sudden there an expert, an authority. so where is the solution to this kind -- i don't know if i would call it a crisis. seems like there's a huge disconnect in the scenes --

denise to be some way to resolve it. >> i would like. you know, it's very interesting. the brother of the entire coming at this from the position of people who are trying to perform. the start -- storytellers and away. i think that i would offer this idea. that is the following. we, one of my observations on becoming a muslim was that this was a community, the culture is very focused on scholarships and getting things right and really doing the rigorous work. and that pursuit makes us maybe sometimes afraid.

in essence while we call the marketplace of artistic ideas meaning u.s. saying that there is social media that is sort of chaotic and people can be experts. but i think that's actually a good thing in the following way. these voices, these ideas really get out there and compete. some are hot for a little while, but it's the ones that are saying something truthful that persist and the ones that really get at genuine human emotion the state. begin to expand a narrative. and that's what i think we need to be doing, expanding the narrative as much as possible. and so i don't think that that's a bad thing. i don't think there is a solution to it. i think it's actually a very away that many people in our community are getting more power to express ideas. some of those ideas justice

appear. they are not worthy. but those that state, it's like the great works of art over time, they have something to offer us all that are imported. >> if i could say something. one of the reasons, we have not developed. might not be the proper term social movement sometimes develop the sort of profits of the spontaneous to my historical moment. we don't have to a certain extent mass movements that articulate various solutions or attend the solutions to a lot of the bridging, of overcoming these issues and questions. so i think to a certain extent we have to be confident that the demands

will give birth to a kind of movement that is necessary to answer some of these questions and to bridge some of these designs because their bigger than one individual. one individual is not going to send out the ultimate facebook status or write the perfect article that has been peer reviewed. going answer all the questions. to a certain extent it's going to be a product of a movement that brings activists, scholars, lay people together. and then collectively, the collective effort and the chance to adjust live out the particular historical moment is going to provide the answer. so we just need to sit back and be confident. such movements will appear in it will take a little further down the road. and if they don't answer the question or they're questions per say they will

give us a little more insight and so what is needed to begin to answer the question or to begin to bridge the gap. >> well, my point is very brief. someone in agreement, i have some adorations about the chaotic sort of dynamic of the internet. i think you're right now in not going to shut it down. it is not so much the gas. it is not even the fact someone -- authenticated. one of the problems are really worries me are contracting certain kinds of

habits and ways of doing things his just, you know, so damaging to the cost. you can't have a constructive conversation where the best ideas rise to the top. people are constantly in siding and attacking. you know, and this is shocking. and i come from a tender background. i can deal. i can deal with it. but as a muslim -- and i still remember this. i mean, i remember in graduate school or even when i was abroad studying. they have these knocked down drag out debates.

and all they would say is that one of them was safe. i keep saying, well, tell me who this person is. if the person isn't the issue. i argue with that person. and dealing with the idea. and the idea, you know, i'm mike, yap. yes. yes. and then we get to the end of the page. this is wrong. and the point that i'm making is that there is so much integrity and fidelity and the manner. among you would almost be convinced by the argument until they came in to make their own. this is our legacy. this is our heritage.

we should not be tearing each other down. we should not be misrepresenting each other. and especially the people who are in communities, we should be modeling the civility. we have to model facility. incivility is one of our enemies. it's really one of our enemies. and people's feelings and no less hurt because this is a screen and the internet than they are if you insult them to their face. you have to be very careful. >> of just that, i agree in terms of this idea of a possibility. but also a feeling we have to be honest about the limits. the internet is not a democratic space. come in literally it is not a space that everyone has access to.

so it's not that kind of space. so does people act out of fear and desperation. they don't act intelligently . the positive what is going on with young americans. >> the problem that is particular to them that really is it just reflective of what's happening. >> come together with people who we agree with the don't agree with, but at least we

can share, create the atmosphere. and i recognize what your saying about this question of stability. if the lack of a critical critique. people say -- because i have heard this and you end up telling you can't criticize anything. so there's a way in which the call for civility has to also be a call that does not dampen or dampen critical conversation is either. is a conversation is that we have to organize. very intentional about them. that is true. and whatever your specific sphere of influence, be very particular. to my mind part of what is not happening on this muslim and in that yet i am sort of a part of, sort of hedging my bets, and elevated conversation.

people want to talk about people. it all want to talk about white supremacy. and this is my problem. i want to elevate the conversation. in order to do that we have to organize. >> we received a total question about putting muslims in the forefront through professional athleticism and the media, if we put muslims in the forefront of these fields, is that a way to become the guess more obvious in american culture and accepted and be a part of it? is that the way to move forward? >> no, ma'am. [laughter] >> i second that. >> should i quit my job? >> putting muslims and more prominent positions and encouraging them to do so. >> i would say no.

and know he should not prejudge either. actually it's about putting muslims and less prominent positions. in terms of -- this idea that if we just have muslim newscasters. for example, we had a famous african american women, beyonce, for example, huge, famous. but why is she fan is? what makes her fan is? what are the types of aesthetics or priorities and principles that come out of a white supremacist remark that enable beyonce than for frank? it does not matter. she is really famous and of african descent if, in fact, we end up taking for presence is a reproduction of a system of inequality. saw not really confident that having muslim bases everywhere is the answer. i do agree with the spending narratives, but i think that has to happen. regular old people.

regular people who do regular stuff, the folks who i think in many ways are the vanguard. in that is about telling a story. but it's also about being active in communities, community life and responding to the needs of people. so i feel like it's not about this high-profile figures but about a kind of ito's of sensibility that muslims carry with in their everyday lives that i think is most impact will. [applause] >> anybody else? >> you know, your point ambiance is a very good one. in the sense of getting back to the issue of storytelling , you know, despite the fact is someone happens to be prominent, story is that telling? telling the same old story of stardom. it is really about the kinds of stories that people in prominent spot reflect. >> and i think that that is

why we have to be careful. anyone profile will get the job done. maybe prominent people. one of the things that prominent people to bring along with them is an added multiplier effect to the number of people will listen to them simply because they are prominent. it depends on what kind of story top. i remember reading the sports caster -- because we're running short on time i will be brief. basically his father was of white supremacist. and when mom and all the san on television, big old have fallen and said the but if they want to put before the firing squad tomorrow i'm ready to die before i abandon their religion. that is what he said. this man's father said to him, you know, i don't know a lot about what this him man is talking about, but

you get very few opportunities in life to stand up and be a man. this man is standing up and being a man. he said his father had voted for george wallace in the first election to the region under the influence of what he heard he voted for george mcgovern in the next election. so people in prominent positions, i mean, can be influential. depends on the story they're telling. i don't think it's one or the other. i think it really is matter of the story. >> i think also it becomes important to us to understand that there are certain fundamental principles "in islam such as the belief in the universality of humanity, human brotherhood a sister that life transcends the his ago and that there are some things worth dying for. i think that was the power.

and there are certain things worth losing all four. and so it's not a question of having people in prominence. it's having people in providence who are willing to give their lives and to move it all to be faithful to those high richardson believes. that's why mom's belly was so powerful police he was willing to give up the fame, the wealth of the notoriety, his career, everything to advance a set of principles that could resonate to any decent human beings regardless of his race, ethnicity, class, backrub, excel are. people of prominence can do at to my perhaps it could help to move the whole conversation, social discourse and create different types of cultural understandings and realities

>> speaking of prominence to my take some people may be aware. they did issue some criticisms of muslim organizations. another speaking up enough about world events. my question is, if we are supposed to be creating this culture and be concerned about being american muslims, me, do we have to take every single thing that happens overseas and to defcon four? two we need to always be this hyper alert, always reacting when we have a lot of issues here at home and we are not dealing with little? are we, you know, just sitting ducks? what should we be doing? >> well, since you brought it out. actually, the opposite.

not here to represent his pointed you. i don't think it would be appropriate to engage him in absentia in the absence of its ability. i will speak about that. on the overall issue however of an american muslim community quite frankly my own attitude about this is that we as an american muslim community have to become a lot more self respecting. we have to respect our own reality, our own priorities, our value, our initial. we have to insist that we have not only the right but the responsibility to define our own agenda in terms of what perris reset as a muslim community. and others who disagree with that, that may be a point on which we need to come together and discuss these things, we don't have to report to anybody because we

are muslims to hold ourselves responsible before allah. and we have children to my grandchildren, brothers, sisters, reality that we have to take responsibility for. we should not apologize about that to anyone. [applause] >> i understand where the sentiment comes from. and this is a question that -- myself for example being raised a muslim, you know, we boycott of south africa because of apartheid. i also knew what was happening. the things a or happening in my local community. some my perspective -- of little bit of a false choice between two we have to care about everything? yes, we have to care about literally everything.

our position as american is that we are the beneficiaries of materialism i photo existed, some person on facebook, tear gas canisters. and there were three rotations. i don't remember the third. the canisters were produced in a facility in kentucky. we know that the militarization of the police in the united states follows and copies the ways in which the u.s. military is policing non u.s. populations elsewhere. personal information between the present industrial complex in the united states and shifting back and forth between the ways in which u.s. power operates elsewhere. so we care about everything. on wearing his t-shirt.

home wearing this teacher not because black lines only manner in the u.s. put their is a parochial notion of what it means to be an american but they're is a fundamental reality of black life is one that is about human life. i don't think we have to choose. a thick the choice may come in terms of individuals or communities, which causes that we in the upper spending time on for whatever particular reason. but there is no choice here, whether or not i care about what happens to someone, the ebola outbreak, west africa, it's not a choice. yes, we care about everything. [applause] >> this question, i was actually going to say something after this was

over. and thank him in person in front of all of you for making an earlier point. when you're talking about remembering that this is a religion, the soul, afterlife but never forget that. when i became a muslim so many years ago politics was the very last thought in my mind. was a very spiritual experience. it did something for my heart. and i sometimes feel as i have progressed as a muslim that i am testing gays in conversations and have to do with issues of abroad and political action. do we put emphasis here are there? very rarely is the conversation brought back to really what our faith is about which ultimately it's about our souls and about connecting with the divine

and realizing that whatever is happening here it is temporary. rear passing through it. there is something that we ought to be keeping our minds on. so i think to some degree i was so happy he said that. i think it's something that bears repeating. i think we need to keep that sentiment in mind with regard to all these questions and all these issues. all to believe our relationship with god and where were going. it's also -- we should not forget the other. sometimes we often do. >> i agree with what everyone said. and again, it's not appropriate to engage someone in their absence. one thing that we should keep in mind or bear in mind is that all lot of times

these conferences are places of refuge for people who are out there during the years dealing with these issues. sometimes in very trying weiss. they're working to drug addicts, homeless folks, some are very deeply engaged in these political struggles . with their children, as students, and very difficult and trying wace. and if we cannot have any spaces that can serve as a refuge where people can come together and they can be rejuvenated spiritually said that they can go out into the world and the gauges with new energy and with that new spiritual

perspective that can keep them focused on the big picture, all of those taken away and it becomes a space of political contention, controversy, stress, stirring among them we are going to see the already dangerous terrain this of people leaving his on because they can't find any relief except amongst the buddhists or a mocks the christians. they can't find any spiritual meaning in the context of what has been defined. we are entering into some very dangerous territory that is unprecedented in this tree. because there were able to survive the political disasters because it had places spiritual refuge.

they conquered his long public is the. we are going to become a busy, unique community in the history. [applause] i was listening to what your saying. i feel torn about what your saying insomuch as i100 percent agree with what you said earlier. oftentimes the need to give themselves a break.

the frenzy created for myself. we fight for justice would reap this reward. we don't know. but this notion of spiritual refuge, a few don't believe that i'm fully human -- if you're my muslim brother but -- like how can i find social refuge with you to mix of his question of space is in the spaces we create is one about politics a. i don't believe in politics and religion. but if we do not create the space said on deal with these fundamental sort of believes, these micro aggressions. if we don't booked to do that i'm not sure. these may be spiritual. per others they aren't. that for me.

>> i don't think articulated it properly. i don't think we're talking about sort of a black-and-white zero some situation. i am generalizing. so when we talk about spiritual refuge is not necessarily a physical space that is 100 percent dedicated to sort of recharging the batteries without confronting serious issues. i just think when the politics becomes so hegemonic that we can't even begin to envision a place of refuge. that's when it becomes extremely dangerous. so i'm not talking about any physical space, physical, geographical vacation, center, a convention center, and they think. just having the at the at

that depth there are some spaces where we can come together and even discourse on issues related put politics but approaching them from a different price. we do know that part of, a process of bringing about relief is cultivating relationships that leaves no room. i think a lot of times we can become so desperate that we will entertain solutions that have no foundation and a religion. so how do we maintain space is even while were having those conversations that the atmosphere is not qualified by desperation. the atmosphere -- atmosphere is qualified by such an

intense urgency to come up with a solution right now that we can't in, you know, let's remember allah and then come back to it. so, you know, it's complex and nuanced and i don't think i could even properly articulated in a time that we have. i've acknowledged what your saying, and it is very real. there are dangers in going to far in any direction. >> their dangers of going too far in either direction. have to think that, you know, many of us love fest ." that has to be a part of it as well. "and "political entities, talking about them being engaged in a but these are our friends to my daughters,

people we have known for years. and that has to inspire something among us as a community. things are tough out there for muslims. things are really tough out there for muslims. i am in the university setting. young muslims have their faith challenged on a daily basis. many of them are in crisis. and what is going on in this particular culture of that particular country is quite frankly not a priority. trying to figure out whether they're muslim are not. lots of attention, costly attention directly toward that and i don't think we need to. >> well, unfortunately we are out of time. we will have to say goodnight to you guys. thank you so much to our panelists. [applause] don't stop tweeting.

tweet all weekend. thank you guys. >> following the shooting and subsequent protests in ferguson, missouri and senate panel of an oversight hearing on how state and local law-enforcement agencies are equipped using federal programs. officials from the pentagon and justice department will testify. you can join the conversation on facebook and twitter. watch live coverage from the senate only security committee tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. eastern on c-span three. >> next health and human services secretary silvia bar while talks about some of her goals for hhs including making improvements to the health care law degree from george washington university this is 35 minutes. [applause]

>> good morning. it is wonderful to be here this morning. i am delighted to be introducing our very special guest this morning, the 22nd secretary of health and human services, secretary burwell. in fact, it is especially exciting that she is with us today. recently awarded a health care innovation award from hhs and the center for medicare and medicaid services. with -- the $24 million reward was the result of collaboration between the school of public health, the russian institute of medicine and health sciences and 20 other community partners including clinical care systems to hospitals, technology firms, and the d.c. department of health. the project will develop a shared information technology system that will rely on mobile technology,

own testing, and an integrated care system in order to prevent hiv infection and provide better care for those who already have the virus right here in the district of columbia. it is an exciting opportunity in reflexed innovation and results cheered approaches that invited secretary brown wells'. as well as our commitment to ensuring that every american has access to the building blocks of healthy and productive lives. secretary barrell was sworn in on june 9th 2014. called to operate under three guiding principles, to deliver results on a wide range of complex issues, to strengthen relationships and to build strong teams with the talent and focus needed to deliver and packs with the american people. most recently secretary bird will serve as director of the office of management and

budget where she worked closely with congress to help return to a more orderly budget and appropriations process bringing much-needed civility, the economy, and middle-class families. she led the administration's efforts to deliver a smarter, more innovative, and more accountable government. she oversaw the development of president obama's second term management agenda including efforts to expedite high impact permanent products next, drive efficiencies and improve customer service. additionally our regulatory system for health and safety of americans of promoting economic growth, job creation, and innovation. prior to serving in the obama administration secretary burma served as president of the walmart foundation in arkansas where she led efforts to fight hunger in america and empower women around the world. before joining the foundation in 2012 she was president of the global development program at the

bill and ellen gates foundation in seattle, washington where she's been ten years working on some of the world's most pressing challenges. vaccinations to my children's health, agriculture and development. she also served as the foundation's first chief operating officer's. during the clinton administration's secretary burr was served as tepid the director of omb, deputy chief to the president. chief of staff to the secretary of the treasury and staff director of the national economic council. prior to joining the clinton administration's secretary -- secretary burwell worked for mckinsey and company to a serving on the boards of the council on client relations, university of washington medical center among other organizations. secretary received an a.b. from harvard university the second generation, grope.

she and her husband lived in washington d.c. with their two young children. charlie unaccomplished, truly a skilled manager, truly a wonderful new secretary of health and human services. my pleasure on behalf of the george washington university institute for public health to join me in welcoming secretary burro. [applause] >> thank you. it is great to be here with you today. this institution is a tremendous leader on so many health and human services issues from research that is revolutionizing the treatment of cancers to biomedical engineering, where training, doctors, nurses, social workers, and

perhaps secretaries. i had the privilege of working with many colonials including many of the talented members of our staff at the department of health and human services. when you think of all the chinese who have come through this university it is astounding. the great receiver from my home state, senate majority leader reid, senator nancy, and the founders of organizations as diverse as emily's list, espn, an operation tomorrow. all these people had two very big things in common. the first, of course, gw. the second is that each of them found their own road to impact. i wanted to the suburbs and ready to share some thoughts with you as you look to find your way to the impact. have been an hhs for about three months not.

and it is the chance of a lifetime til the end be a part of this department and such a unique moment in our history. in fact, i should mention we have to win a half years to go. i was honored to except president obama's invitation to lead hhs because there is some much potential to deliver impacts that touch so many lines. i can't imagine another place where you have quite the same opportunity to work at the intersection of policy, management to my, impact, and some very great challenges. since i've turned this to me erica i found that the president emphasizes results , partnership, accountability, and sound management. this is the way i've always tried to work, and it is how we're going to work hhs. we believe in building

bridges, relationships, and strong teams and have the talent and focus necessary to deliver results. we believe in managing, transparency, and compact. impact on behalf of the american people we serve. they are our bosses. these hard working americans rely on the work of our department as they look to obtain the building blocks of healthy and productive lives. whether we are talking about the affordable care act, early childhood education to more of a fight to stop the bola, believe the best path to progress and impact, what is central to all of this is not politics. setting aside the back-and-forth and instead choosing to move forward. i'm a parent when i think about the mom's and then

sitting around their kitchen table tried to make big decisions for their children did not care whose idea something was. you don't have time for that. when you try to figure out how to pay the electric bill round pick in next year's tuition or out and get the kids to get the home 110 you just want results. you expect folks in washington to live for the common ground necessary to deliver. this is the approach we bring to a big challenges that we face at hhs. defines our own and management philosophy and our own way. i learned fundamentally about the importance of relationships growing up in a place where my mom knew the one day i was starting for school because i was late for the 9:00 a.m. class she was teaching. the values i learned growing up in a beautiful place called hinton, west virginia are what anchor how i

manage, our work, and even what i work on. you might think about what values and experiences got you here and they're going to take you beyond. hinton is the kind of place where such relationships and trust matter. it's the sort of community where neighbors tend to look for the best in each other and everyone feels a personal stake in contributing to the common good. as i have gone on in my career to manage budgets including the federal budget, i have often thought about our in our small community every time counted. people would work so hard for the money they brought home. i watch the parents of many of my friends commute to difficult, often backbreaking work in a mine. fasten my grandfather get up to open is a restaurant at 6:00 a.m. he was a greek immigrant and taught me to be grateful for the gives this country gave to our family. his restaurant was called disney's, but not that

denny's. there was no grand slam. it was the english translation of his greek name. island about customer service and delivering results at home of the congress mile. ..

she was a member of the service club and on the state board of education. dad was an alliance club. he was in the elk's club and was always a trade education and citizenship pageant. we had a rule in our house. and how when you have to trick-or-treat for unicef before you could trick-or-treat for candy. fast-forward a few years and i still draw upon these values and experiences whether it's putting the customer first, valuing service or looking to find the best in others even when you don't agree on everything. i have been fortunate in my career to be a part of organizations that are very good strategy. i've also been part of organizations that are very good at execution. i believe in leadership and management that are good at both strategy and execution because

this is the difference between great ideas that change lives and those that don't. my management philosophy is built on three principles, impact, prioritization and relationships. now i have said the word impact quite a lot already. it's why i do what i do. when we tackle a problem at hh as i make sure that we set out a clear definition of impact from the beginning. what do we hope to accomplish and who do we hope to accomplish it for? i think a lot about those moms and dads of the kitchen table and how the actions we take will impact them. they are our boss and so are our young women like savannah goodwin who had to wait tables on a broken ankle that she grabbed herself until she got health insurance. so are our neighbors who are beating addiction and so were children who are attending head start. all these people are our bosses at hhs.

our bosses also the taxpayer. people like those miners from hands and work hard for their paycheck and they deserve a government that works and is strategically efficient in spending their hard-earned tax dollars. that's one of the reasons that prioritization is so important to me because seven priorities and staying focused are how you get to efficiency and impact. determining what options are available, what policy levers are there, what will they do, what you are good at and what your partners are good at. all these things are the things that make government work. in order to deliver which levers and initiatives are the most efficient and effective we are data-driven at hhs and i'm a big believer in metrics, benchmarks and analytics. if you are serious about delivering results and looking out for the taxpayer, you need to know whether what you are doing is actually working. all these things have something in common.

they need great people to make them happen. and that starts with building teams with talent and focus, necessary to deliver the impact that the american people expect and deserve. so my very first days of the department i've been working to retain the great talent that was already in place and to recruit more of the best and brightest to join us. as far as our external relationships i am a big believer in the old cliché, relationships are built on trust. transparency builds trust and it's something that we take very seriously. he'd been at the numbers are quite where we want them to be we are going to tell you about it. take for example our recent announcements about the numbers of consumers and the health insurance marketplaces who have citizenship based data matching issues. yet they always make for the

best and most attractive press release but we believe that you build trust by sharing the news, both good and bad. we also believe in the power of good ideas and we understand that nobody has a monopoly on them. that's why active listening and being responsive are so important. hearing ideas, input and feedback and putting them into action wherever possible. i told my staffordshire work toward the goal of returning letters we received from congress within 30 days no matter who they are from. many of the best ideas come from all different sectors of our society. i've been blessed with the opportunity to work across a number of different sectors doing everything from scooping ice cream to leaving walmart's efforts to feed needy families, to leading the efforts of the office of management and budget. along the way i've learned to have respect for every sector of

our society and to believe strongly that there are more things that we have in common as americans than we have that are different. that's why when we hear good ideas from the other side of the aisle we want to listen so when republican congressman fred upton asked me to join him for discussion on 21st century cures later this week, i said sign me up. what are my first meetings that secretary was with the governors of both parties. i said if you are finding our department is it being responsive i want to know about it. i also told them i had -- want to work with them regardless party to bring more states into the fold on medicaid expansion. hundreds of thousands of people can now get the health care coverage they deserve as a result. the fact of the matter is there

are always places where we can work together. there is nothing ideological about curing cancer. there is no democrat or republican way to solve ebola. there isn't a liberal or conservative approach to preventing suicide. we have the opportunities to work together across the aisle on issues ranging from medical research to global health security to early education for our children. the american people are sending a clear signal that they want us to work together on health care too. when you start a job like mine you end up taking a lot of time in the first few months to listen. i was once told that god gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason. i can tell you that's what i have been hearing over and over whether it's from friends that i talked to back in west virginia to business leaders to elected

leaders and to my new colleagues at hhs, enough already with the back-and-forth. we just want to move forward. what the mom and dad at their kitchen table really want to know is what kind of coverage is available to me and my family? can i afford it and is it any good? what i hear from business leaders is that they are in the same place. to work together on solutions while making our caren solutions while making our care better and investing dollars wisely. they want a better health care system and so do we. so what i have told my team at hhs is that we are not here to fight last year's battles. we are here to deliver on affordability, access and quality. surely, these are goals we can all agree on no matter where you happen to live, whether it's west virginia, washington or wyoming or washington state.

by these metrics, the affordable care act is clearly working. health care is more affordable for families, businesses and for our economy as a whole. coverage and services are more widely available for more people. doctors and hospitals are delivering better care to their patients. as we have said all along, we can do more and we can do better. the affordable care act is not about making a point. it's about making progress. it's about leadership and management, defining our goals, putting the right teams in place, setting the right priorities and building relationships with anyone who wants in, consumers, issuers, providers, elected officials, faith leaders, civic organizations. we want to work with people across our country and across all sectors on priorities we can

all get behind. helping more americans get covered and stay covered, making health care more affordable for working families, making sure that healthcare.gov meets the standards the american people expect and demand. expanding medicaid, working with doctors and hospitals to deliver quality and affordable care. working with insurance companies to offer more choices to more people in more regions of our country. so what you will be seen from us in the days and months ahead is an open invitation for partnership and a call for good ideas that matter where they come from. we will be looking to build and strengthen relationships with anyone and everyone who shares our passion for helping americans attain the building blocks of healthy and productive lives. and we will insist that the

actions we take our managed well with and i am protecting the taxpayer and delivering impact. let's move beyond the back-and-forth. let's move forward together. thank you. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen the secretary will now answer a few questions by george washington university students. would you please welcome to our stage setup call class of 2016 from the milken institute of public health. >> good morning madam secretary. i may have a student body ever like to congratulate you on your new goal is secretary of health and human services and thank you for being here this morning. i would like to kick off our q&a with personal question if you don't mind. you mentioned you are a mom. do you have any tips on how to achieve the ideal worklife balance? >> i think the ideal is

something none of us hit but in terms of approach to this one of the things that i think is important hearkens back to something i said in a speech about prioritization and the prioritization that one does in the work so that you understand the key things you are focused on and that prioritization for the work i think is one of the things that helps put the work in the order that it should be and contain it in the way. there's not a part of privatization which is making sure that people know your family is a priority and being clear about that articulation. these are the parameters and this is how i work. the other thing that i would add is that i'm very fortunate to have a great partner and my worklife balance and my husband and my children in terms of how they support that effort. the last thing i would just add this i talked a little bit about people in my remarks and how when wants to build great teams.

because actually i've held for jobs in the last four years, you might think i can hold a job so that means i've started and build teams a number of times actually in the near term. one of the things i have found is that actually valuing this question of respect for family and respect for those things is an incredibly important part of recruiting high-quality people. often some of the best people that you want are people who care about these issues as well and so it is something that i am seeing as i continue to do recruiting at keeping that is a priority for me and articulating it in managed teams in that way something that helps. >> this question was by stewart portman a graduate student of the millikin school of public health. as a graduate student working towards an mph and health policy i'm learning to build bland policy development feasibility

to this is just the concerns of the population. in the current environment budgets and set about partisan partisan divides an inability to find common ground. as a part of a new generation of health professionals i reject that as the status quo. here's the question. how is improving communication between yourself and congress something you discussed during your confirmation hearings work to better the relationship between you and hhs and legislatures? for them or do you believe improved communication about policy goals can correct many of the misunderstandings in today's health environment? >> thank you stewart. i think i spoke a little bit to this issue and the importance of relationship as i talked about one of the biggest priorities that i believed that as a manager i need to have. the issue of relationship they think is important for a number of reasons. i will let met when i was younger the idea that i would put relationship as one of the core goals for something that would be foreign because it was a means and not an end.

analytically i want answered in terms of goals but this is one that is important enough that as i have gotten older and have more experience that i believe is incredibly important and gets to a little bit of what was in stewart's question. their issue of having relationships is a lot about how how you sharing of information because one of the things that i find as we try to work things in this town where things have gotten incredible contentious at times is can we all start with the same facts and often we are not doing it. if we can get to the level where we are starting with the same fact base we may have different ways of interpreting those facts but if you can start you on the same factories and you have relationship that you can have a conversation that you actually know the two of you disagree that's a lot of how one brings things together. that relationship is also about trust. often to get to solutions and

whether it's in the private sector or the public sector it's about negotiating. some people might use the word deals but in doing that the idea of trust if you think about what ms. murray and mr. ryan had to do last year to negotiate the deal we had on the budget a lot of that was about them building that relationship of trust because they were carrying on both sides all the needs and desires of their teams on both sides and having that relationship and trust is an important thing i think to finding the places where one side is not going to get everything in the other side is not going to get everything that we can find a path that gets us living forward. >> the next question comes from angela reckitt graduate student in public health and she asked their background and previous experience are different from us at hhs secretaries before you. how does this make your approach to the job different? what you see is your biggest challenge?

>> i'm a bit different from most recent previous secretaries and probably more similar to secretary shalala from a number of years ago in terms of my background not being an elected official. so i think my style approach and what i bring to the department is similar to secretary shalala. and i've spoken to to that in terms of those priorities and how i think about managing and leading the department. i think also the one of the things that's important in this gets to challenges one of the first things i did was to call all of the other former secretaries so that i could make sure that i could learn from them and understand the things in places where they think michael background might have spaces that listening to them and learning from its important and whether that's my direct predecessor who i spend an enormous amount of time and am grateful for her support

secretary said phileas but also her support secretary said phileas but also secretary leavitt, secretary thompson and others actually going back to secretary sullivan from many years ago. that is one of the things that i think is a challenge. >> wonderful. the health administrative student for millikin says school prevention of disease is much less expensive than treating illness or disease. what barriers prevent us from using more resources to tackle the determinants of health that

are key in preventing diseases in preventing disease is? how do we overcome these barriers? >> so the issue of prevention is one that i think is tremendously important and we are at a critical places where thinking about changing our health delivery system to one that is less fee-based and more mpac base because we know the important that prevention plays in that both in terms of how we will save money and get better results. one of the questions i think is it is not always easy on the prevention side. my experience through a number of experiences whether it gates or walmart is when you think about prevention the first thing is people have to have that knowledge so let's take for instance healthy being mad. they need to actually know what healthy eating is. they need to understand how it's defined in what that would mean. the second thing is they need the tools. the tools, and various forms. some people don't know how to

fix fresh vegetables or have not used them before. think about if you have never cut a pineapple would you know or even a pomegranate? how do you get the seeds out? even your day-to-day things that people may not have experienced the tools and tools also come in the form of affordability. many of the things we are trying to teach communities about prevention and healthy eating do they have access? i than a food desert and even if they are in a place where they can afford fresh fruits and vegetables we want to encourage as part of healthy eating so the tools. then the third thing is culture and behavior change. probably if we did a survey here did everybody get up this morning and exercise and did everybody eat a serving of fruits and a low-fat yogurt? we could go through and i would say most of the people in this room are good on one or two but even those of us who have those

things, so it is about behavior change so to get improvement i think we all have to as a nation and not just as the government but as communities and individuals we have to work against all three. >> you just made me feel a little bit bad because i did not work out together at eat my fruits this morning. >> i hope you had breakfast at lease. >> the final question comes from me. what is the biggest surprise thus far from your career as secretary? >> the question of the biggest surprise in the first 100 days actually there has been a recognition of the magnitude and the volume we have had enough not really a surprise. it's just whether it unaccompanied children. many of you know we have had 12,000 children the care of the department of health and human services at one point. many of you are probably familiar with ebola and that really wasn't a surprise but

interesting but interesting they do surprises than a positive one. i've been very fortunate to have the chance to work in organizations where people have real passion for their work whether that's the gates foundation working on hunger at walmart working in the government for two times i've been there but what is surprising is the extent of the passion for their work at the department of health and human services. as i go out and meet with each of our operating divisions the fda, our organization that does substance abuse and mental health and all these organizations to a person every person i talked to tells me that their work is the most important work in the department. i welcome that because that kind of passion including a note from a library and you wanted to make sure i understood what she and her library had to offer with the hhs system so it is that passion. i knew people would care that i am surprised by the level of

passion and intensity that i made everywhere i go with the hhs staff. >> thank you so much madam secretary. on behalf of the george washington university community and we want to congratulate in her new role as secretary of health and human services and sharing with us this morning that i especially want to thank you for bringing your message to gw and giving students an opportunity directly engage with you. as we are we are shifting our own futures in developing better understanding of the challenges we face nationally and globally we will look to leaders and leaders like you not just as role models but more importantly as teachers. we learn from her actions. we learn from your leadership, we learn from participating in events like this today. being able to ask you questions directly has been an extraordinary opportunity for the students at the george washington university this morning. i know i speak on behalf of all of the gw community when we say we hope this morning's event is

the first and many direct conversations between you and students at george washington university. madam secretary thank you so much again. [applause] >> thank you very much and thank you all for having me today. it was a pleasure to be here. thank you so much. [applause]

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[applause] [applause] ladies and gentlemen please welcome margaret spellings person of the george w. bush leadership. >> good morning everyone. thank you for joining us today. i margaret spellings the person of the bush presidential center in dallas texas and i'm so glad to see so many familiar faces with us today for really special

announcement. we would like to especially thank our supporting founders without home we would not be here. the muddy foundation. our friends are sitting right there in the front row. [applause] is leading the way with a substantial commitment to the program and their gift is making this program possible. they are joined by the miles foundation and representatives from all three organizations are with us today. thanks also to the hearse foundation for their support. thank you to my partner and now best friend bruce lindsey of the clinton foundation and of course my friends, the ceo of the george bush presidential library foundation and larry temple chairman of the board of the lbj presidential library foundation in austin and i want to acknowledge my board chairman don evans the chairman of the bush center board is also with us. our archives and records administration led by david

syria archivist of the united states and directors from each of the affiliated libraries are also here with us today. finally our university partners smu on this campus president gerald turner the clinton school of service at the university of arkansas texas a&m and university of texas at austin. okay so all the documents are done. i'm thrilled to be here this morning to launch the presidential leadership scholars program, a partnership between the presidential centers of george w. bush, william j. clinton, george h.w. bush and lyndon b. johnson. presidents bush and clinton will will join us early to discuss what this program is so important to them but there are a few key matters to discuss first. in my career i've had the distinct honor and good fortune of working for and with many strong leaders men and women who are born with the characteristics that put them on the path to lead but to have perhaps more importantly

developed and honed the skills that allow them to make a significant contribution to better their communities. like many of you i have seen a tremendous difference a gifted leader can and does make and we need more of them in every sector of society. last year before he left washington i have the opportunity to visit with my friend and former head of the democratic leadership council al from who is also here today about an idea for a powerful important partnership between president bush and president clinton. when i moved to dallas i became aware of the powerhouse of the presidential centers that we have in our reach. we have four presidential centers. something like a texas braggadocio now. two democrats into republicans within close proximity of each other. these centers more importantly tell the story of four consequential leaders who lead our country during the last half of the 20th century into the

21st so with assets and resources of these four centers in mind i reached out to bruce lindsey to test the idea of a leadership program stewarded by presidents 42 and 43. with bruce's support we put our heads together in a presidential leadership scholars program was born. leadership is and always will be a critical need. that's why i'm excited about the opportunity that lies before us. a program that will train highly motivated people with a track record of leadership from across all sectors and backgrounds business, the public sector, non-profits, the military and academia. these leaders will apply the lessons principles and ideas they learned through this program to the complex opportunities and challenges that confront us. the presidential leadership scholars experience is unique and the resources it offers participants. they will learn from the president not as politicians that people who have led to some

of the most dynamic and complex situations of our times. times change and issues are organic. fundamental to a strong leader of core regardless of what sector of what sector they serve for white ideology they hold are the skills that guide them as they set a vision and strategy motivates strong teams, navigate challenges make difficult decisions and find common ground. our curriculum has developed a partnership with some of the best minds in the scholarship of leadership. paul almeida and michael o'leary from georgetown university who are here with us as well. the program will combine the study of leadership skills like communication persuasion decision-making and coalition building with examples and case studies from the four presidencies. participants will connect with the best minds in the science and leadership gain insights from the former president and those who served with t