CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF SPORT IN SOCIETY

Sport in Society's Susan Leitao (right), Director of Project TEAMWORK, with Cape Verde President Pedro Pires. Photos by: Paul Ermlich.

SPORT IN SOCIETY'S SUSAN LEITAO A KEYNOTE SPEAKER WELCOMING CAPE VERDE PRESIDENT TO NU

BOSTON, MA – On July 3, 2002, Northeastern University welcomed Pedro Pires, the President of Cape Verde, to it's campus at the John D. O'Bryant African-American Institute.

Sport in Society's Susan Leitao, Director of Project TEAMWORK, was one of the special invted keynote speakers at the reception.

"Before visiting Cape Verde, it was hard for me to understand how these people could live in such a poor, third world country," said Leitao. "The trip there was unbelievable, I was able to appreciate the people and the beauty of their country."

Leitao, a native of Cape Verde, also attributed this new appreciation for Cape Verde and its people to the recent passing of her father. Leitao went on to say how glad she was that Pires was in the United States, helping his country become more well-known.

Many people did not know anything about Cape Verde prior to Pires' visit and were forced to ask and learn about it. According to Leitao, this was also an important step for both the Republic of Cape Verde and for the individuals learning about it.

Sport in Society's Susan Leitao welcomes Cape Verde President Pedro Pires (seated at left) to Northeastern University's John. D. O'Bryant African-American Institute.

While at Northeastern, Pires presented the African-American Institute with a painting of Amilicar Cabral, who dedicated his life to helping Cape Verde gain independence from Portugal. The Institute also has a room named for him, the Cabral Room.

Pires' election to the presidency was made possible by absentee votes from people in the United States. Pires made the trip to the United States to thank these voters and also to establish better relations with American businesses.

Cape Verde, an archipelago west of the westernmost point of Africa, has been struggling economically since it gained it's independence from Portugal in 1975.

Other speakers at the event were David Hall, NU Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs; Lula Petty-Edwards, NU Associate Dean and Director of African American Institute; as well as current Northeastern students and representatives from Cape Verde.

Sport in Society's Susan Leitao, a native of Cape Verde, tells a personal story upon welcoming Cape Verde President Pedro Pires to Northeastern University.