BRAMA, November 18, 2002, 5:00 pm ET
Congress of the United States
House of Representatives
Washington, DC
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 th~ 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 Ukraiuian Famine-Genocide and construct similar monuments to keep its memory alive.
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