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Daniel Pearl Foundation - Since 2002

No one should be targeted for their identity

The Daniel Pearl Foundation amplifies constructive voices, advances ethical journalism, and harnesses the unifying power of music to uproot the hate and extremism that took Danny’s life.

Daniel Pearl, smiling
Daniel Pearl in profile, smiling

Meet Danny

The world has come to know Daniel Pearl as the Wall Street Journal reporter kidnapped and murdered by terrorists in Pakistan in early 2002, just four months after 9/11. People around the world, along with his pregnant wife and family, prayed and worked for his release. Since then, he has been remembered as a symbol of human connection across cultures and divides — something he practiced naturally as both a journalist and a gifted musician.

When you get to know Danny, you understand not only what the world lost, but what we believe is worth carrying forward.

Read Danny's full story

"Dehumanizing people is the first step to inviting violence... We have to figure out ways to educate the next generation differently."

– Ruth Pearl, Co-Founder –

Twenty-five years of Danny's legacy

Founded in 2002 by Danny’s family and friends, the Foundation has placed journalists in leading newsrooms, convened conversations across cultures, supported threatened media professionals, and inspired thousands of concerts around the world. Others built alongside it — universities, press clubs, even an act of Congress carry Danny’s name.

See the full record of impact
11,900+
concerts dedicated to Harmony for Humanity
132
countries reached through Daniel Pearl World Music Days
22
Daniel Pearl Memorial Lectures at UCLA, 2002–2025

The work continues every year:

Audience at the Daniel Pearl Memorial Lecture at UCLA

Daniel Pearl Memorial Lecture Series at University of California, Los Angeles

Since 2002, in partnership with the Burkle Center for International Relations and Hillel at UCLA, this annual public lecture has featured Anderson Cooper, Bob Woodward, Fareed Zakaria, and Condoleezza Rice.

Audience at the Daniel Pearl Memorial Lecture at Stanford

Daniel Pearl Memorial Lecture Series at Stanford University

Since 2006, Danny’s alma mater hosted past speakers such as Christiane Amanpour, Wolf Blitzer, and Bernard-Henri Lévy.

Daniel Pearl Fellows on a panel at the Los Angeles Press Club

Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism

Presented annually with the Los Angeles Press Club, selected in consultation with the Pearl family.

Daniel Pearl Magnet High School journalism mural

Daniel Pearl Magnet High School

A hands-on journalism and communications curriculum in LA Unified — home of "The Pearl Post," an award-winning student newspaper. Scholarship awarded each May.

The Daniel Pearl Investigative Journalism Initiative

Daniel Pearl Investigative Journalism Initiative | Moment Magazine

Since 2010, Moment's DPIJI has supported journalists reporting on prejudice and hate around the world.

Why This? Why Now?

We live in a world of misinformation, polarization, and the denial of human dignity. People are harmed and killed because of their identity — the same kind of hate that took Danny’s life.

You feel it too: the “separation virus” of polarization, the exhaustion of us-vs-them narratives, the sense that the loudest voices are the most extreme ones. You’re not alone. Most people are fed up and believe we can still find common ground.

That’s where this work comes in — and where you come in.

Students painting a mural of Daniel Pearl

Be Part of the Revival

The Foundation is entering a new chapter. With Danny’s 25th anniversary approaching in 2027, we are building a new generation of programs.

Explore Danny's World

Latest News

25 Years — Reintroducing Danny to a New Generation

In 2027, the world marks twenty-five years since Danny’s death. You can help us reintroduce him to a generation that never knew him.

Be the first to know as it unfolds.