November 2, 2004
Director of Media Relations
413/542-8417
AMHERST, Mass.-Kim Phuc, subject of one of the most memorable photographs of the Vietnam War, will speak on Thursday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. in Stirn Auditorium at Amherst College. Phuc's lecture, co-sponsored by the Department of Religion and supported by the Willis Wood Fund, is a part of "The Pain of War," an exhibition of more than 60 prints, photographs, videos and other media images that address the theme of suffering associated with war, at the Mead Art Museum from Oct. 28 until Dec. 19.
Phuc is currently a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). At nine years old, Phuc was depicted fleeing from her village with burns from a napalm attack during the Vietnam War. The recognition she received from Nick Ut's famous photograph helped her get her treatment at special burn clinics, where she survived 17 operations and underwent plastic surgery that effectively saved her life. Her lecture will address how she overcame pain, fear and death to give back to the community with a message of the power of humanity.
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