Henry Reese
Co-Founder, City of Asylum
2022
Henry Reese is a co-founder of City of Asylum, which provides sanctuary in Pittsburgh to writers exiled under threat of persecution. He served as volunteer director from 2004 until 2018, during which time the organization’s mission expanded to includes numerous literary-based programs and place-based economic and community development through the arts. City of Asylum is the world’s largest safe haven in the world for endangered writers and artists. It is also the U.S. hub for the International Cities of Refuge Network and is actively expanding the network of cities in the U.S.
From 1974-2002, Henry was a co-founder and principal in Reese Brothers and Communications & Commerce. He is a graduate of The Johns Hopkins University and did graduate work at SUNY Buffalo in English literature and cognitive linguistics.
At the Summit
The effort to eradicate hate requires the active participation of every component of our society, to include governments, the private sector, communities of faith and indeed every aspect of civil society. There is no more urgent task in front of us. The organizers of the Eradicate Hate Global Summit are doing the United States and the world an enormous service by tackling hatred and extremism with a focus on honest dialogue and conversation, genuine learning and practical solutions. This will not happen overnight, but the Pittsburgh community’s leadership in this effort is genuinely inspiring and motivating.
