The Stadsschouwburg in Amsterdam will be the focal point where The John Adams Institute's 'Hyphen Nation: American Perspectives on Diversity’ will be shown on 5th February 2010 from 13:00 – 21:30. The event will be followed by Coolpolitics at Boom Chicago from 21:30 – 03:00.

Why? The Netherlands has become quite a centre of cultural differences and international organisations. Topics that will be addressed during this event are immigration and diversity issues.

America is the largest country consisting of nationals with diverse backgrounds and nationalities, many of them being hyphenated; for example, American-Indian, American-Italian, African-American, Asian-American, which is where ‘Hyphen Nation’ gets its name.

America tells newcomers: “Become American, join us…but don’t lose your origins.”

The event, organised by The John Adam’s Institute in collaboration with the Dutch Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the U.S. Embassy in The Hague, will take a closer look at the eminent question: Could the American diversity format work in The Netherlands?

The all-day event is divided into 3 sections:

Part 1 – 13:00 – 18:30
Featuring:
• Panel discussions on diversity in the workplace and diversity on TV, including top U.S. corporate and TV executives.

• Talks by Eboo Patel, member of President Obama’s Faith Advisory Council, and Farah Pandith, U.S. Special Representative to Muslim Communities.

• Remarks by U.S. Ambassador Fay Hartog Levin and Dutch Minister for European Affairs Frans Timmermans.

• A report by Pia Dijkstra on the future of women in the Dutch workforce.

• Airing of an episode of the documentary “The New York Connection,” about diversity in New York.

• Amsterdam street musicians, a slideshow on what it’s like to be an illegal immigrant in New York, and a case study of how Pepsi pioneered the integration of blacks into its sales force in the 1940s.

• Items that will be addressed are diversity at work and on TV.

Part 1 of the event will close with drinks and a buffet dinner.

Part 2 – 20:00 – 21:30

Rev. Jesse Jackson will address the success and failure of American diversity in the age of Obama, In cooperation with the US Embassy & the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

From the civil rights marches of the 1960s, the Rev. Jesse Jackson has been at the core of the American civil rights movement. He made history as an African American running for president in the 1980s, and the image of him weeping for joy on the night of Barack Obama’s election brought things full circle for millions of Americans. Jackson personifies the struggle for inclusion in American society. He is thus the ideal person to provide the keynote address for this conference. In his talk, Rev. Jackson will ponder how far America has come in its march to equality, and how far it still has to go.

Moderator: Prem Radhakishun.

Part 3 – 21:30 – 03:00 (Organised by Coolpolitics)

Finally, the day will come to an end at Boom Chicago, with MTV Coolpolitics’ talk show, a comedy featuring Rev. Jesse Jackson, improvisations from Boom Chicago’s comedians, and comedians none other than Flinke Namen and GLDJ’s Off the Wall.

Tickets: €10
For the Coolpolitics program and ticket sales, visit www.coolpolitics.org.

Lock and load into cultural differences in the capital of diversity - Amsterdam!
 

Price part 1 & 2: € 25.00 (including buffet dinner)
For the full program and registration details go to the John Adams’ website: www.john-adams.nl.

Nienke Kools

Images: 'Diversity' The John Adam’s Institute

             Reverend Jesse Jackson: blackliberal.wordpress.com

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