POLISH CONSTITUTION DAY
Polish Flag Day and Day of Polonia

The main events held in Milwaukee and Chicago:

May 2 at 12pm Polish Flag Day and Polish Diaspora Day Celebration (Uroczystości Dnia Flagi RP oraz Dnia Polonii i Polaków za Granicą), Daley Plaza in Chicago, IL.

May 2 at 6pm The 1791 Constitution Celebrated through Words, Music and Imagery (Konstytucja 1791 świętowana słowem, muzyką i obrazem), Veterans Room, Polish Center of Wisconsin in Franklin, WI.

All are invited to this free event sponsored by the Milwaukee Society of the Polish National Alliance in cooperation with the Polish Center of Wisconsin and support of the Polish American Congress – Wisconsin Division. Speaking at the event will be David R. Zepecki and Donald Pienkos, Prof. Emeritus of Political Science. Highlights will include the music of Fryderyk Chopin performed by Francis T. Wasielewski and the showing of posters created by the Polish Center to tell the May 3rd Constitution story. (click on the image to download the flyer)

From the 1999 Senate Joint Resolution 11: Whereas, the democratic and Western−oriented ideals inherent in the first Polish Constitution live on today within a citizenry that has played a leading role in bringing an end to Communism in Eastern Europe and in the country that was the Soviet Union and whose elected representatives are presently at work building a new societal system based on the precepts of political liberty linked in spirit to Poland’s historic values as embodied in the Polish Constitution of 1791; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the senate, the assembly concurring, That the legislature of the state of Wisconsin recognizes the contribution of the Polish Constitution to the advancement of democracy and freedom by proclaiming May 3rd of every year, “Trzeciego Maja Day” in the state of Wisconsin and invites all citizens to join their fellow Wisconsinites of Polish descent in celebrating Polish Constitution Day, “Trzeciego Maja”.

May 7 at 11:30pm – Polish Constitution Day Parade under the motto “Freedom and Peace for All!” (“Wolność i Pokój dla Świata!”) will march down the Columbus Drive in Chicago, between Balbo Drive
and Monroe Street.

Last edits on March 30, 2022

PAC condemns Russian invasion of Ukraine
and stands in solidarity with Ukrainian people

The Polish American Congress vehemently condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people in their fight against an authoritarian regime that has engaged in unprovoked violence against their country. We fear that this attack on Ukraine will destabilize the entire region and will cause a great humanitarian crisis.

To download the letter, click on the image above or on the red text below
► download the document here ◄

The images of explosions and fighting throughout Ukraine must serve as evidence that the current regime in Moscow is committed to rearranging the security architecture in Europe through any means necessary. It is a continuation of aggressive actions that started in 2008 against Georgia, 2014 against Ukraine, military infiltration of Belarus and now a full-scale invasion against Ukraine. The U.S and its allies must respond by adopting the harshest possible sanctions and measures that will make it clear that this blatant disregard for international norms will no longer be tolerated.

We applaud the decisions of the Biden administration to reinforce the NATO presence in Poland, the Baltics and other NATO eastern-flank allies. We support further military aid to the region. We see now how far the Putin regime is willing to go to impose its will on independent countries in the region. Consequently, we call on the Biden administration to strongly consider the permanent presence of U.S troops in Poland and other eastern-flank NATO allies that wish such presence in order to deter Russia.

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► link to the document pdf ◄

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PAC Statement on Situation in Ukraine
February 22, 2022

In this statement, the Polish American Congress unequivocally condemns Russian recognition of rebel entities in Eastern Ukraine (officially announced on February 21, 2022) and warns that the invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine would threaten the security of Poland and the Baltic states (all members of the EU and NATO) and create humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, Poland and other neighboring countries. Subsequently, the PAC urges the Biden administration to provide the meaningful military aid to Ukraine, enact the toughest possible sanctions against Russian financial and energy sectors and re-affirm the US commitment to support Poland and other NATO allies in the region.

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► link to the document pdf ◄

Implement a Meaningful Approach to Deter Kremlin Aggression Against Ukraine
February 2, 2022

In this joint statement, the Polish American Congress (PAC) and the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) call upon the US administration to take proactive, measurable actions to deter the Kremlin from further invasion against Ukraine and hybrid warfare launched against other countries in the Central and East European region.

Among specific preemptive measures, this statement lists (a) Nord Stream 2 sanctions and (b) the removal of Russia from the SWIFT international financial transaction system. This statement includes also a call to adhere to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances. Note: This agreement, signed by the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States, includes security assurances in case of territorial threats or use of force against Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus.

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► link to the document pdf ◄

Upcoming Meetings on Ukraine Should Counter Kremlin Revanchism
January 6, 2022

This statement was released by the Central and East European Coalition (CEEC), a coalition representing more than 20 million American voters with heritage links to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia and Armenia. The CEECA members express here their alarm about the demands of security guarantees as articulated by the Russian Foreign Ministry before the host of upcoming meetings (bilateral United States-Russia Strategic Stability Dialog meeting on January 10 in Geneva, the NATO-Russia Council talks on January 12 in Brussels, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe dialog on January 13 in Vienna).

Concerned about the potential implications for security in the CEECA region of interest, this release asks the Biden administration to “decide nothing about European security without the presence of the nations concerned.”

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► link to the document pdf ◄

Letter from the PAC President Frank Spula to the US President Joseph R. Biden
December 22, 2021

Expressing deep concerns about nearly 200,000 Russian troops threatening to invade Ukraine and the Russian diplomatic offensive aiming to rewrite the existing “security architecture” in Eastern Europe, this timely letter puts forth several suggestions for the meaningful action needed to preserve peace and democracy in the region:
– The United States and NATO should provide Ukraine with military and financial aid to ensure its independent existence and prevent escalation of the conflict to the neighboring countries.
– Full sanctions should be imposed on Nord Stream 2 pipeline to ensure Europe’s energy security and prevent blackmailing threats of cutting gas supplies.
– The Russian draft of the treaty with NATO should be dismissed because it aims to prevent NATO’s military assistance to Poland and other countries admitted to NATO after May 1997.

Two overarching takeaways of the letter combine the reminder of the past failures of the policy of appeasement and assertion that countries on the eastern NATO flank must be assured that their voice will be fully heard in any future discussions of the region’s security.