The inspiration for a Sorensen Center for International Peace and Justice is drawn from the life of the late Theodore (Ted) Sorensen, who made an indelible mark nationally and internationally as advisor and speechwriter to President John F. Kennedy. In private practice, at Paul, Weiss in the decades that followed, he championed democracy and development in regions around the world. In October 2014 the Sorensen Center for International Peace and Justice was launched with an extraordinary opening ceremony featuring a keynote address by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and a surprise performance by Grammy Award-winning artist and activist Alicia Keys.
“There are no subjects more appropriate or more worthy of Ted’s intellectual legacy than the complex and challenging pursuit of international peace and justice. This is a moral imperative for all of us who, like Ted, abhor violence and human suffering, and who believe that justice is not justice if it’s not extended to all.”
Kofi Annan, October 2014, Launch of the Sorensen Center