World Affairs Council of Central Illinois (WACCI) : The James W. Foley Legacy: Hostage Advocacy and Journalist Safet

Description

WACCI is honored to invite you to this special program featuring Diane Foley, President and Founder of the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, which she created in September 2014 less than a month after the public beheading by ISIS in Syria of her son James W. Foley, an American freelance conflict journalist.
Foley has worked tirelessly to free innocent Americans taken hostage or wrongfully detained abroad. She has raised awareness of international hostage-taking and wrongful detention using the award-winning documentary, “Jim, the James Foley story,” opinion pieces in the New York Times, Washington Post and USA Today and media interviews.  She co-authored the book American Mother which was published in 2024 with writer Colum McCann. She has been a tireless hostage, wrongful detainee and family advocate within the US hostage enterprise, Congress, and every presidential administration since 2014. Diane is the leading voice encouraging the US government to do more. In addition to speaking about her experience and the role that families play as advocates for their loved ones, Diane will also speak to the work the foundation does to conduct journalism safety programs and to advocate for individual cases.