CALIFORNIA AMERICAN LEGION ENDORSES CENTER FOR JAZZ ARTS PROGRAM December 22, 2007 Los Angeles --- In a unanimous resolution introduced during their State-wide convention, the American Legion Department of California endorsed the new, WW-II visual history program launched by the Center for Jazz Arts (the “American Stories” project), stating that “the public diplomacy efforts of all Americans remain vital to our nation’s and our military’s security.” As the American Stories project continues to bring together veterans and survivors of WW-II, their families, and their local communities, throughout the United States and Europe, its mission to empower these extraordinary men and women in bringing new light to the unifying history of American popular culture around the world has also received ongoing support from leading members of the United States Congress, as well as from numerous, distinguished, U.S./European organizations equally dedicated to strengthening the project’s important, bridge-building mission. Earlier in ‘2007, the work of the Center for Jazz Arts had previously received the wholehearted endorsement of the National Security and Foreign Relations Commission of the American Legion Department of California, as well as the support of the department’s Americanism Commission, and it has continued to work closely with American Legion Posts in both the United States and Europe. “Since the attacks of September 11th, the United States and its allies have initiated unprecedented efforts to defeat terrorism around the world, and the Center for Jazz Arts is equally committed to using the history of jazz culture as a tool to advance greater understanding for the values that unite rather than divide us,” stated Center for Jazz Arts president and chairman Guy DeFazio. He added “The American Expeditionary Forces who fought side-by-side with their European allies during WW-I came together in Paris to form the organization that is now the American Legion, and that same mission to replace hatred with hope also remains at the heart of our work.” About the American Legion: Originally founded in Paris, the American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a community-service organization dedicated to mutual helpfulness, and it currently maintains nearly three-million members worldwide. Its individual Posts are organized into fifty-five Departments, one for each of the fifty states, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, France, Mexico, and the Philippines. Its national headquarters is located in Indianapolis. About the CJA: Established in 2004, the Center for Jazz Arts is an international institution devoted to the study and advancement of American jazz culture throughout the visual, literary, and classical arts, around the world. Through its primary operations in Los Angeles, it is building a prominent new platform of engagement for students, artists, educators, and the broader public, from every generation. For more information contact: Public Relations Center for Jazz Arts (866) 950-5200 info@centerforjazzarts.com [ back to top ]