On June 9, a day with record breaking 102-degree temperatures, representatives of embassies and ethnic organizations gathered at the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington, DC. While the focus of the event was to remember the more than 100 million victims of communism, speakers also stressed that many parts of the world today are still under the communist yoke.
Ambassador Aldona Vos, former ambassador to Estonia, spoke of her own family’s experiences under communism in Poland. She also stated that “shades of communism are apparent in many countries.
They are often concealed behind advocacy for a greater good or social justice. Therefore, it is our obligation to teach future generations the truth — that communist ideology is responsible for crimes against humanity.”
Dr. Lee Edwards, chairman of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, remarked on the “dozens of national leaders from around the world [who] have visited the Memorial to lay a wreath.” He also announced the creation of a Curriculum on Communism for high school students. This curriculum is an interactive 13-lesson plan for teachers to help them teach their pupils about communism. An integral part is the two-year-old online Global Museum on Communism (http://www.globalmuseumoncommunism.org).
Other speakers included Ambassador Paula Dobriansky and Thomas Marsh, the sculptor of the “Goddess of Democracy” statue at the memorial.
The ceremony concluded with the presentation of memorial wreaths by embassies, organizations, and private individuals. Estonian Ambassador ot the United States Väino Reinart and Marju Rink-Abel, president of the Estonian American National Council, represented the Estonian government and Estonian American community at the ceremony.
Marju Rink-Abel
