Embassy events 2009

Senate Resolution Commemorates 20th Anniversary of the Fall of Communism in Poland

5 June 2009 

Senator Barbara Mikulski

On Tuesday, June 2, 2009, Senate Resolution (S. Res 139)commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of communism in Poland passed unanimously in the U.S. Senate. The resolution was introduced on May 11, 2009 by Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski.  The Resolution co-sponsors are Senators Burris, Specter, Durbin, Voinovich, Inhofe, Schumer, Brownback, Levin, and Cardin.  "This Resolution, sponsored by a distinguished bipartisan group of Senators, shows the recognition Poland has in our United States Senate," said U.S. Ambassador to Poland, Victor Ashe.

Senate Resolution 139 praises Poles for their perseverance in the struggle for freedom. “Despite the harsh repression of the communist-led government and the great personal risk they faced, the Polish people struggled for freedom by staging strikes, publishing underground newspapers, organizing street protests, and speaking out against the economic and political failures of the communist regime.”

Senator Barbara Mikulski, is an American politician of the Democratic Party, and the Senior Senator from the state of Maryland. She is Maryland's first female senator and currently the most senior female Senator, having served since 1987, and ranking 18th (out of 100) in seniority. She received 1,504,691 votes in her 2004 reelection campaign, the largest number of votes to date for a Senate candidate in Maryland. Senator Mikulski is the great-granddaughter of Polish immigrants and the oldest of three daughters of Christine Kutz and William Mikulski.