On June 8, 1972, the South Vietnamese air force dropped napalm on its own troops and civilians after mistaking them for North Vietnamese forces. Nine-year-old Kim Phúc Phan Thi, who was severely injured, was running from the bombed village when an Associated Press photographer captured her and others in one of the most iconic photographs from the Vietnam War, which later won the Pulitzer Prize. Join Kim Phúc, Mark Bowden, contributing writer for The Atlantic and author of Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam, classical composer and jazz trumpeter Hannibal Lokumbe, and moderator Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, for a unique discussion on the Vietnam War and its impact. A special performance by Lokumbe precedes the discussion.
This event is presented in conjunction with the world premiere of Hannibal Lokumbe’s “First Breath, Last Sigh: A Journey Called Life” and the tribute performance of “Children of the Fire” in honor of Kim Phuc Phan Thi and presented by The Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral with the Painted Bride Art Center.
Participants
- Mark Bowden is a journalist and author of 13 books, including Hue 1968, Black Hawk Down, and Killing Pablo. He is a regular contributor to The Atlantic, and a longtime staff writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer. His books have regularly appeared on The New York Times bestseller lists. Black Hawk Down was adapted into an Academy Award-winning motion picture, and three others are currently being adapted into TV series.
- Kim Phúc is the founder of The Kim Foundation International, a non-profit organization committed to funding programs to heal children in war torn areas of the world. In 1997 UNESCO named her a Goodwill Ambassador for Culture of Peace. She is also the recipient of numerous awards, including the International Peace Prize in Dresden Germany in February 2019.
- Hannibal Lokumbe is a classical composer and jazz trumpeter. Among his many accomplishments, Lokumbe has served as The Philadelphia Orchestra’s composer-in-residence. His long history with the Orchestra began in 1997 with a performance of his oratorio African Portraits. Throughout his tenure, Hannibal reached many different communities of Philadelphia through music and dialogue.
- Jeffrey Rosen is the president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization devoted to educating the public about the U.S. Constitution. Rosen is also professor of law at The George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic.
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