A Statement from World Learning Inc. on the Passing of Senator Harris Wofford

Publication Date: January 24, 2019
Publication Location: Washington, DC
Contact: Kathryn Schoenberger   |   [email protected]

The World Learning family was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former Sen. Harris Wofford, a longtime friend of the organization. The world has lost a champion for civil rights, social justice, and intercultural understanding.

“Sen. Harris Wofford dedicated his life to creating a more peaceful and just world,” said CEO Carol Jenkins. “He had an innate talent for building bridges between people and embodied the true spirit of World Learning Inc. Sen. Wofford was a powerful role model for those working to create positive change in their communities around the world.”

Sen. Wofford’s distinguished career included advising Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., serving as civil rights coordinator for John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign, and later working as the president’s special assistant for civil rights.

While serving in the Kennedy administration, Sen. Wofford was also instrumental in helping Sargent Shriver, an alumnus of The Experiment in International Living, launch the Peace Corps, serving as special representative to Africa and later as associate director.

Sen. Wofford served as a U.S. senator from Pennsylvania from 1991–1995. During his term, he played a key role in launching the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency that oversees AmeriCorps and the Senior Corps, which he later led as CEO. He and civil rights leader Representative John Lewis also co-wrote legislation that designated Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a national day of service.

In honor of his lifelong commitment to public service, World Learning Inc. awarded Sen. Wofford its inaugural Distinguished Global Citizen Achievement Award in 2011.

The World Learning family will continue to honor Sen. Wofford’s memory through our mission to realize a more sustainable, peaceful, and just world.