SDLP leader Colum Eastwood on his trip to USA
Mr Eastwood is due to take part in a Q&A panel with over 200 students, academics and community members, after the screening of ‘In the Name of Peace: John Hume in America’.
Speaking ahead of the panel discussion, Mr Eastwood commented:
“My visit to the States has provided me with an opportunity to expose as many young activists, politics students and local politicians to the enduring message and ageless politics of our former leader John Hume.
“When Maurice Fitzpatrick’s film hit screens across the North, it was an opportunity for communities to remember the hard fought civil rights campaign, lead by giants such as John Hume and many, many others.
“Atlanta has its own deep history of advancing civil rights against a wave of oppression in the shape of racism.
“It has been encouraging to exchange stories as well as similarities between communities in the North of Ireland and North America who have truly ‘over come’ in the face of adversity.
“In a time of extreme political polarisation, the message of an unyielding desire for peace, a message that John Hume built his political life on, cannot merely be confined to the history books.
“Rather that message must be lived out in earnest until we can truly reconcile our communities in all corners of the globe,” added the Foyle MLA.
