Today May 20 our Polish Museum of America welcomed Dr. Michael V. Alexeev, Ph.D., expert in the field of comparative economics and econ. of transition from Soviet to free-market finances.

He joined PMA Managing Director Malgorzata Kot for a brief tour of the Polish Museum of America. Besides being the oldest ethnic Museum in USA, our PMA Collection highlights Poland's ancient history, culture and arts which proclaim the Polish Nation's millennial quest and milestone strides towards freedom and democracy. Our guest was accompanied by Jim Leitzel, University of Chicago Professor of Economics and Executive director of Public Policy Studies. Dr. Alexeev teaches at Indiana University-Bloomington. He is also the son of Lyudmila Alexeyeva - the pioneer of the Russian dissident movement. He is here in Chicago to accept the Knights Cross of the Order of Merit which was awarded, posthumously, to his mother by His Excellency Mr. Andrzej Duda - the President of the Republic of Poland. It was Ms. Alexeyeva who published the first monograph on the history of Russian human rights entitled "Soviet Dissent". In 1989 she restarted the Moscow Helsinki Group and became its chairperson. From 2009 Lyudmila Alexeyeva was a beacon of hope at the Strategy - 31 regular protest rallies held by citizens at Moscow's Triumfalnaya Square in defense of Russian Constitution's Art. 31 (Freedom of Assembly). She was a fearless opponent of the 2014 annexation of her native Crimea by Russia. Her speech (which she did not live to deliver - Ms. Alexeyeva died Dec. 8, 2018) written to mark the 70 anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human rights (ratified at Palais de Chaillot, in Paris, Dec. 10, 1948) should be studied and taken to heart by all freedom and democracy loving people of the world! In addition to her work on human rights, Ms, Alexeyeva took up the cause of Katyn and worked with many institutions and individuals to establish Soviet Union guilt of this horrendous crime.

Beatrix Czerkawski