Washington D.C. (January 7, 2021) –Cultural Vistas is deeply saddened by the violence that occurred at the U.S. Capitol building yesterday.

While we recognize that democracy is a continued work in progress, these actions are not reflective of the values that we as a nation, organization and individuals aspire to and hold most dear. These democratic values of equality, freedom, respectful debate, the rule of law, a free press, open and transparent government and institutions have been under attack in the U.S. and abroad for many years.

Born in the ashes of World War II, our organization was created to bridge understanding and re-build relationships between nations once deep at war. We are heartbroken to see the extent to which divisions have grown within our own nation.

As we move forward as a country it is devastatingly evident there is much work to be done. We recognize that as an international exchange organization we have a responsibility and role to play in building bridges of understanding. Cultural Vistas has a storied legacy of bringing diverse perspectives together to find shared solutions for common global issues.

In this new year we will double down on our duty to foster increased dialogue, through the productive exchange of ideas, values and perspectives such that we can help restore faith around the world in those universal truths and unalienable rights we hold as self-evident.