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Remarks by Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur
Thursday, November 14, 2002
This year, the world marks the 69th anniversary of the Ukrainian
Famine-Genocide that took place in 1932-1933. The bountiful land of Ukraine,
the breadbasket of Europe, lost 7 to 10 million people in those two years
due to the inhuman policies of the Stalinist government. In order to crush
the spirit of the freedom-loving Ukrainian nation and force Ukrainians to
cease their struggle for freedom, Stalin intentionally imposed quotas on
agricultural goods that could not be fulfilled. As a result, people were
forced to give away all fruits of their labor and were left to starve to
death. A quarter of Ukraine's rural population died of starvation while the
Soviet Union was exporting grain to earn money for industrialization. The
price of industrializing the country was kept from the world. For over 60
years the deaths of millions of Ukrainians were hidden away and this case of
genocide was unknown but to the survivors. This year, however, we not only
look back and grieve the victims, but glance into the future.
Ukrainians have fought for their freedom for many centuries. All attempts to
break their will and love for independence were unsuccessful. Even the
horrors of 1932-1933 did not stop Ukrainians from pursuing their goal of
national statehood. Finally, in 1991 the nation has achieved their
well-deserved freedom. We, Americans, value freedom above all. We should
stand together with Ukrainians and honor the memory of those who sacrificed
their lives to gain freedom for their nation and to mount those who were
innocently killed by the oppressive regime in order to crush the nation and
eliminate its cultural heritage.
We need to ensure that the memory of the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide lives on
and warns future generations against allowing oppressive regimes to rule
over any nation. Only due to complete and unlimited power and isolation from
the world could Stalin's regime implement policies directed against its own
citizens and suffer no punishment. I am honored to add my support to the
construction of monument in Washington, D.C. to the victims of the Ukrainian
FamineGenocide. The value of such monument cannot be underestimated. It
reminds us of the history, helps us educate the generations to come, and
serves as a daily reminder of the despicable deeds of oppressive regimes.
I thank the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America and the Ukrainian
community for initiating this effort to construct this monument and I wish
you best luck in completing this project. I hope that Ukrainian communities
in other countries will follow your lead and educate their lawmakers and
public about Ukrainian Famine-Genocide and construct similar monuments to
keep its memory alive.
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