For Freedom. Lithuanian American Support for Lithuania’s Independence and Recognition

Photo credit: The Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture

In celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Lithuania’s Independence, the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture opened a new historical exhibit “For Freedom: Lithuanian American Support for Lithuania’s Independence and Recognition.” The exhibit explores Lithuanian Americans’ passionate and energetic support for the cause of Lithuania’s independence one hundred years ago.  Using photographs, documents, publications, and other historical artifacts, the exhibition gives an overview of Lithuania’s fate at the dawn of the twentieth century as a subjugated part of the Russian Empire; briefly portrays the Lithuanian American communities in America; and summarizes their significant cultural, political, and financial achievements.

The exhibition’s central focus is the vital role played by Lithuanian Americans as their native land seized a unique and complex opportunity to end its 125-year Russian subjugation. It demonstrates that Lithuanian Americans’ support for freedom in their native land did not end with the declared independence in 1918 nor with its recognition by the United States in 1922. In fact, as the exhibition shows, Lithuanian Americans supported their native land’s recurrent struggles to achieve freedom and independence for most of the twentieth century.

Drawing on materials in the Balzekas Museum as well as public and private national and regional archives and collections, the exhibition centralizes the presence of historical documents to prove that this century-long struggle for freedom was powered by ideas and ideals expressed in words and actions.

The Presentation of “The Red Flood”

The book cover of “The Red Flood.”

The Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania together with the publishing house “Briedis” presented a book “The Red Flood” by Ignas Šeinius (1889-1959), a Lithuanian diplomat to Sweden and other Scandinavian countries, on January 25, 2018. The book “Den röda floden” first published in Stockholm, Sweden in 1940 is author’s authentic account about the events that took place in Lithuania in 1940. Continue reading “The Presentation of “The Red Flood””

A Film Director’s Visit at the National Library of Lithuania

An interview with Dr. Giedrė Milerytė-Japertienė

On January 17, Arvydas Reneckis, the director and producer of the American Lithuanian TV that ran in Chicago for 13 years, visited the National Library of Lithuania. Currently he works on a multi-part full-length documentary about Lithuanians and their history in the US. The guest was interested in the publications and manuscripts of American Lithuanians housed in the Library. During his visit, Reneckis filmed a few interviews for his new documentary. He interviewed Jolanta Budriūnienė, the head of the Documentary Heritage Research Department of the National Library of Lithuania, Prof. Alfonsas Eidintas, the ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania, Dr. Giedrė Milerytė-Japertienė, the head of the Lithuanian Studies Department, and Dr. Dalia Cidzikaitė, senior researcher at the Lithuanian Department.

Exhibition “Diplomacy of Lithuanian Exiles in the Fight for Freedom”

Arūnas Antanaitis, the director of the Valdas Adamkus Presidential Library-Museum. Photo: National Library of Lithuania.

On January 9, 2018 the traveling exhibition “Diplomacy of Lithuanian Exiles in the Fight for Freedom” by Vytautas Magnus University Lithuanian Emigration Institute and the Valdas Adamkus Presidential Library-Museum was opened in the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania.

According to Arūnas Antanaitis, the director of the Valdas Adamkus Presidential Library-Museum, when creating the exhibition, the most difficult task was to decide what to include and what to leave out – so vast is the archival material about Lithuanian political, lobbying and other activities in exile spanning for over a hundred years.

The exhibition is aimed at highlighting the most important activities of émigrés in the fight for freedom in the US, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Great Britain, France, and other countries. The creators of the exhibition wanted to show not the official efforts of the émigrés, but the so-called citizen diplomacy, i.e. the contribution of ordinary people to Lithuanian statehood. Alongside material, moral and political support, they helped to establish Lithuania’s name in the world and used all possible means to support Lithuania’s independence abroad.

A Guest from the US

Jūratė Kazickaitė. Photo: National Library of Lithuania

On November 3, Jūratė Kazickaitė, the President of the Kazickas Family Foundation, visited the National Library of Lithuania. She was accompanied by Neila Baumilienė, the Head of the Foundation’s New York City branch. The guests were given a tour of the Library and introduced with the activities and ongoing projects of such departments and centers as Adolfas Damušis Democracy Studies Centre.

The main focus of the Kazickas Family Foundation is education and social projects in Lithuania and the United States. During the meeting, the guests discussed future projects and further cooperation with the Library.

 

BaltHerNet Newsletter 2017, no.3

Below, you will find the Autumn edition of the Baltic Heritage Network quarterly newsletter. In these pages, you will find information about our past and future events, new publications, and what is happening across the globe within the diaspora research and archive communities.

In this issue:

  • Andres Kasekamp Arrives as the Chair of Estonian Studies
  • Sharing Our Stories was exhibited in Ottawa
  • “We Thought We’d Be Back Soon” Captures Displaced Persons’ Experiences
  • Celebrating 10 Years Since the First BaltHerNet Summer School
  • Adolfas Damušis Democracy Studies Centre opened at the National Library of Lithuania
  • Third printing of Alberta’s Estonian Heritage “Collection”
  • Summer Interns
  • VEMU Events Spring 2017
  • BALTHERNET Conference: New Beginnings of Baltic Diaspora

Please click on the pdf link below to read more: 
https://www.balther.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/BHN_3_20_2017.pdf