Medale Dla Zasłużonych

12 Małopolan otrzymało dziś z rąk z rąk wojewody małopolskiego Łukasza Kmity Medale Stulecia Odzyskanej Niepodległości, przyznane decyzją prezydenta Andrzeja Dudy.

To odznaczenie jest przyznawane osobom, które przyczyniły się do odzyskania lub umacniania suwerenności Rzeczypospolitej, w tym szczególnie budowania wspólnoty obywatelskiej Polaków i poczucia tożsamości narodowej, rozwoju nauki, rozsławiania dobrego imienia Polski poprzez kulturę i sztukę.
- Działalność każdego z was to drogowskaz, jak pozostać wiernym ideałom i wyznawanym wartościom, jak podtrzymywać wiedzę o historii i kulturze naszej ojczyzny. Małopolska potrzebuje takich ambasadorów, którzy w swoich środowiskach inspirują i zachęcają do działania, wnosząc przy tym niesamowitą energię i entuzjazm – powiedział wojewoda małopolski.
Wśród wyróżnionych znalazła się m.in. krakowska sercanka s. Witalisa Hanna Żaboklicka. Brała czynny udział w przygotowywaniu wielu uroczystości patriotycznych. Szczególne uznanie przyniosło jej przygotowanie albumu biograficznego dotyczącego gen. bryg. Tadeusza Bieńkowicza “Rączego”, partyzanta AK i powojennego podziemia niepodległościoweg.

Jan Franczyk z kolei to psycholog, opozycjonista z czasów PRL, współzałożyciel nowohuckiej Chrześcijańskiej Wspólnoty Ludzi Pracy i redaktor “Krzyża Nowohuckiego”, internowany w stanie wojennym, po 1990 r. wieloletni radny Krakowa, wykładowca Uniwersytetu Pedagogicznego, redaktor nowohuckiego tygodnika “Głos” i korespondent mediów polonijnych w Stanach Zjednoczonych. O uhonorowanie go za tę działalność medialną, przybliżającą Polonii w USA to, co dzieje się w kraju, wnioskował Kongres Polonii Amerykańskiej w stanie Michigan i Sieć Polonijnego Radia w USA.

Renata Groyecka, muzykolog z wykształcenia, była m.in. związana w drugiej połowie lat 70. ub.w. ze Studenckim Komitetem Solidarności, brała wówczas i w latach 80. udział w kolportażu wydawnictw niezależnych, w stanie wojennym współorganizowała pomoc dla represjonowanych, w ostatnich latach mocno angażowała się w upamiętnianie wydarzeń i postaci historycznych związanych z walką o niepodległość. Brała udział w koordynowaniu prac związanych ze wzniesieniem w Krakowie pomnika Pála Telekiego, premiera Węgier, który wspierał Polaków w czasie wojny polsko-bolszewickiej w 1920 r. i w trakcie II wojny światowej.
Kazimierz Korabiński, niegdyś górnik, angażował się w działania protestacyjne, m.in. na terenie Skawiny, brał udział w działaniach upamiętniających górników kopalni Wujek, poległych 16 grudnia 1981 roku.
Kolejny odznaczony – Józef Wieczorek – to geolog, od wielu lat dziennikarz niezależny, który dokumentuje słowem, fotografiami i filmami krakowskie wydarzenia patriotyczne i religijne. W latach 80. ub. wieku za działalność opozycyjną był represjonowany i inwigilowany przez SB. W 1986 r. został usunięty z Instytutu Nauk Geologicznych UJ za “negatywne oddziaływanie na młodzież” i do dziś nie został przywrócony do pracy.
Jan Znamiec, adwokat, rotmistrz kawalerii ochotniczej, dowódca Szwadronu Niepołomice w barwach 8 Pułku Ułanów Księcia Józefa Poniatowskiego, zasłużył się w przypominaniu tradycji kawalerii polskiej.
Medale otrzymali także: Marek Buda, Janusz Kozłowski, Ryszard Musiał, Zdzisław Szczur, Robert Szczurek i Roksana Szczypta-Szczęch, historyk z Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej w Krakowie.

https://krakow.gosc.pl/doc/6976470.Medale-dla-zasluzonych

Windfall Legislation in the 117th Congress

Polish American Congress is urging everyone to call their representatives as more congressional cosponsors are needed for to the proposed bill known as the Social Security Fairness Act 2021. It will help to ensure that a person receiving a pension from 2 government sources, such as US and Poland, is not penalized and their pension is not unjustly reduced, as now is the case.

  1. CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN/WOMAN IN WASHINGTON, DC THIS WEEK
  2. IN YOUR PHONE CALL, STATE THAT “IF YOU WANT MY VOTE AS A POLISH AMERICAN VOTING CONSTITUENT, SIGN ON AS A CO-SPONSOR OF H.R. 82 THAT IS KNOWN AS THE ‘SOCIAL SECURITY FAIRNESS ACT’.”
  3. THANK THE PERSON WHO BRINGS YOUR MESSAGE TO THE ATTENTION OF YOUR CONGRESSMAN/WOMAN.
  4. WHEREAS IT APPEARS THAT WITH ONLY 19 MORE CO-SPONSORS LEFT TO ATTRACT THIS YEAR OR IN 2022 DURING THE FINAL SESSION OF THE 117TH CONGRESS, THE NUMBER OF SENATE CO-SPONSORS MUST AT LEAST BE PASSED BY THE SENATE VIA A “SIMPLE MAJORITY” (I.E., 51) WHICH CAN BE REACHED BY THE ADDED VOTE OF THE SENATE PRESIDENT WHO IS ALSO THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. AS OF TODAY, S. 1302 HAS ATTRTACTED 31 CO-SPONSORS.
  5. IN SHORT, IT APPEARS THAT BOTH BILLS WILL BE PASSED, MOST LIKELY IN 2022, PROVIDED THAT WE REMAIN RELENTLESSLY FOCUSED ON ACHIEVING THAT OBJECTIVE WHICH WILL REQUIRE THAT, ON ONE HAND, OUR DIVISIONS IN DE, FL, IL, IN, NY, AND VA EACH ENLIST THEIR 2 SENATORS, AND THAT AS WELL, MD, OH, PA, AND WI, EACH ENLIST THEIR SECOND

July 24, 2021 – Polish Ethnic Novena at Ste. Anne’s Church

Dear Friends,

We hope this letter finds you well and in good health. As we slowly return to what we know as normal, once again, we will be celebrating the Annual Novena to St. Anne at Detroit’s historic church, 1000 St. Anne Street, from July 17- 26, 2020.

Ste. Anne Novena has been celebrated annually for over 100 years in this beautiful church, now designated a Basilica by Archbishop Vigneron in 2019. We gather to pray for all our own intentions, the intentions of our families, our community, our Archdiocese, and continue to pray for the world affected by the pandemic.

The Novena encompasses nine days of prayer and masses, each day’s mass designating an ethnic group associated with Metropolitan Detroit. It culminates with mass, July 26, the Feast Day of St. Anne, celebrated by Archbishop Allen Vigneron.

On Saturday, July 24th at 7:00 pm, we will be honoring Eastern European cultures, however Msgr. Kosanke, Ste. Anne’s Pastor, again extended a special invitation to Polish American Congress Michigan Division to be the principal patron for that day, with His Excellency Bishop Robert Fisher as main celebrant and Fr. Roman Pasieczny as homilist at this mass.

The Polish American Congress Michigan Division serves as coordinator of the Polish Novena Mass and we are focused, once again, on making this a successful Polonian event.  We encourage representatives and members of your organization to join us in celebrating the Polish American community in Michigan.

As in the past we will feature a procession into the church with flags, organizational banners, uniforms and colorful costumes, proudly exhibiting our heritage. We especially encourage organizational representation in this procession. Please note, we will gather in front of the church at 6:30 pm.

Please accept our warm invitation to come pray to St. Anne for all our intentions and to show our Polish Pride!

 

Sincerely,

Ann Bankowski, President

Polish American Congress-Michigan Division

A REALLY BIG BIRTHDAY CARD – A 4th of July lecture by Zbigniew Kantorosinski

Last weekend as America celebrated the anniversary of this country’s founding and independence, the Kosciuszko Foundation made available a lecture online by Zbigniew Kantorosinski, who served as Chief of the Germanic and Slavic Division, Library of Congress. The lecture was about an unusual proof of friendship between Poland and the US. We were invited to hear about an earlier American birthday, 95 years ago, in 1926. That year a newly independent Poland celebrated along with Americans in very special way. To mark the 150th Independence Day, a congratulatory message signed by an estimated 5.5 million Poles on over 31,000 pages was presented to President Calvin Coolidge on October 14, 1926. It was a unique testimonial exhibiting gratitude and friendship of the Polish people for the United States.

The Library of Congress website, entitled “Emblem of Good Will: A Polish Declaration of Admiration and Friendship for the United States of America”, honors the 111 volumes gifted by Poland to the United States. Over a sixth of Poland’s population signed the declaration, thus expressing their esteem for American democracy. The books are sectioned into volumes of signatures, including those of municipal, societal, religious officials, university faculty and students, members of Polish organizations, as well as teachers and pupils of secondary schools. The Library of Congress website provides rich illustrations from the book and an excellent history of this gesture.

Because a presidential library system was not created until after Coolidge’s administration, all the volumes were transferred that same year to the Library of Congress and forgotten for 70 years, only to be discovered in the 1990’s.
Zbigniew Kantorosinski was involved in the meticulous effort to process and publicize this collection in the United States as well as in Poland. The collection has gained popularity not only among visitors to the Library of Congress, but with historians, genealogists, art lovers and anyone interested in Poland and Polish American relations as well.

This interesting lecture highlights a unique and enormous expression of friendship between 2 nations and provides a snapshot of life and spirit of the Polish nation at a time soon after regaining her independence. Their gesture joyfully pays tribute to freedom and democracy.

I encourage you to listen about this inspiring act of friendship by linking to the Kosciuszko Foundation website: www.thekf.org or the link below and hear this fascinating lecture. You will be impressed.

Thank you!

The Library of Congress website is entitled ‘Emblem of Good Will’: A Polish Declaration of Admiration and Friendship for the United States of America

http://www.loc.gov/rr/european/egw/polishex.html/

Office Closed July 2021

NOTICE

The Michigan Division office of Polish American Congress will be closed for the entire month of July 2021 for a summer break. Any requests for assistance can be made by calling the office at 313-365-9400 and leaving a message. Someone will get back with you. You may also drop a message into the mail slot or email it to the office@pacmi.org. These will be checked regularly

Thank you.


UWAGA

Z powodu letniej przerwy, uprzejmie powiadamiamy że biuro Kongresu Polonii będzie zamknięte na miesiąc lipiec 2021. W razie potrzeby można zadzwonić na numer biurowy 313-365-9400  i zostawić wiadomość. Zapewniamy  że oddzwonimy w najbliższym czasie. Można także napisać prośbę o asystę i wrzucić przez otwarcie pocztowe. Również można wysłać maila na adres biura: office@pacmi.org. Wszelkie prośby będą regularnie sprawdzane.

Dziękujemy.

A Call for Legislative Action

Please view 2 format letters you may use regarding US legislative actions, in each the House and Senate. You are encouraged to send it to your US Congressman and our 2 US senators seeking support from them for the current proposed resolutions for the Social Security Fairness Act 2021. One letter format can be used by the individual voter and the other letter on behalf of an organization. You may adjust the wording as you choose. Another possibility is to call your US Congressman and US Senators and leave a message with the request. Thank you for taking an active part in our legislative process and helping many Polish immigrant retirees to receive the full social security benefits they earned and are entitled to receive.

The Distortion Of Polish History

The agendas of historical revisionism about Poland at play right now.

It’s not the Russians or Germans intent on rewriting history, but sadly it’s the co-victims from the Holocaust who are now trying to revise history and turn Poles into the aggressors, worse than the Germans for various reasons, which I address in the video.

I look at this objectively and in doing so I have been attacked repeatedly as an anti-Semite, Holocaust denier, and a white nationalist. My work is all research based and factual and though some of it may not sound positive for some people, it is the truth and our goal as historians is to find the truth and that is what I did.

It is important that we share this message so people understand why Poland is being attacked now and the reasons behind it as well as the truth about Poland’s wartime heroism, which is hardly known. The more people hear the truth, the better. Poland has been defamed and her good name needs to be repaired for the sake of all of the heroes that died in the name of freedom.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1075295745996640

The Polish Constitution of May 3rd, 1791

The Polish Constitution of May 3rd, 1791

May 2, 2021 – 230th Anniversary of the Signing of the Polish Constitution

Enclosed is an invitation to this year’s Polish Constitution Day celebration, which will take place on Sunday May 2, 2021 at the Polish Sunday Mass at 1:00pm at the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. John Paul II on the campus of Orchard Lake Schools. A short program is planned at the end of mass. The year 2021 has been designated by the Polish government as the “Year of the Polish Constitution of 1791”. All of Polonia is warmly invited. Please mark your calendar.

Serdecznie zapraszamy!
Ann Bankowski, President

Polish-American Heritage Day – EMU to Add Polish Curriculum

Polish Heritage Day
The Michigan Polish-American Congress got the Certificate of Merit for the best display at the Polonia showcase all part of the Polish-American Heritage Day at the Convocation Center. Here Anna Nowakowski and Barbara Lemecha go over the material they presented. Some of the suites at the arena decorated their sky-boxes to honor Poland and the occasion. (Photo by Lars Hjemlroth)

Displays Presented by PNA and Michigan PAC Gets Honored

YPSILANTI–  The campus of Eastern Michigan University was abuzz with action as the school’s intercollegiate basketball teams hosted Polish-American Heritage Day at the Convocation Center.  Besides the variety of attractions there were some special Polonia news announcements that highlighted the event.

Polish Rock-pop singing sensation, Magda Kaminski, performed.  She was a big hit doing routines and songs from her new CD at both halftimes.  She was gracious with post concert photos and mingled with the crowd after her sessions.  The Wawel Folk Ensemble and the PNA Centennial Dancers performed during the TV timeouts.

The event provided a platform for dialogue and creative connections.  Groups and people affiliated with Polish culture and those in attendance had an opportunity to make connections and build relationships.  Also, awareness was generated throughout the community and beyond.

EMU’s marketing and graduate studies program used the event as a skills development assignment and blitzed awareness for the occasion.  Other EMU activities were highlighted such as the faculty art exhibition and the upcoming graduate student art exhibition through March 8, at the Ford Gallery on campus.

A variety of historic and art displays were showcased in the atrium lobby along with an academic presentation by the EMU World Language Department.  Considering the global economy shifts, the EMU World Language Department showed how communication has become essential in more than one language.  The handouts introduced why it is so important to have a good understanding of other cultures.  Dr. Rosemary Weston-Gil was on hand for questions.  Additionally, resource materials were provided for study abroad.

It was also announced that EMU would be starting a Polish curriculum next September.

Carol Surma, president of Friends of Polish Art said, “I had nice discussions with folks who were interested in our upcoming 75th anniversary celebration and new audiences to network our scholarship programs.”

Chris Ozog said, ”This was a great opportunity for everyone to come together and highlight the activities of other organizations.  Who knew so many Americans were playing professional basketball in Poland?  This event also shows why an introduction to languages can be so relevant for global bussiness.”  Ozog also presented information about the upcoming Polish-American Night at Comerica Park with the home town Detroit Tigers.

It was announced that Friday, June 1, 2012 will be the date and the New York Yankees are the added draw.  Ted Klamerus, a longtime Detroit area sportsman and board member of the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame helped ambassador the baseball announcement.

The 2012 NPASHF induction will be Thursday, June 21, at the American-Polish Cultural Center  in Troy, Michigan.

The EMU E-Club Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2012 was introduced and a presentation about the Polish-American Football League, Polska Liga Futbolu Amerykańskiego, with EMU assistant football coach Mike Hart and sports broadcaster Raymond Rolak was popular.  A lively question and answer period held the attrention of many.  Rolak was in demand

Also a display on basketball, koszykowka, opportunities in Poland was a highlight.  This year there are 68 American men and 44 American women playing professional basketball in Poland, including Lauren Prochoska formerly of Bowling Green.  She was the Mid-American Conference Women’s Tournament MVP last year in Cleveland.  Anna Kowalska, a Polish National and also an assistant coach for the visiting Kent State women talked about her NCAA basketball experiences.

The Polish Times had a popular display about the Polish aviators of World War II and the Battle of Britain.  A local art club presented awards to the most outstanding educational displays including those presented by the PRCUA, Michigan Polish American Congress, and the Polish National Alliance.   

Information was also available on how to access archives of the Polish Detroit history collection at the Bentley Library along with information regarding the Polish Ann Arbor Film Festival.

Telewizja-Detroit a video service in the Detroit area and a continuous podcaster of Polish information had a display and TV message board available for those in attendance.  Another popular attraction was the Polish food offerings presented from Srodek’s of Hamtramck, MI.  There were video highlights of the Srodek television episode that aired on the popular Bizarre Foods TV show on the Travel Channel hosted by Andrew Zimmern.

Four year EMU basketball letter winner Kamil Janton, also a Polish National, had an outstanding defensive performance in the men’s 68-55 win over Ohio University.  Another highlight was in the EMU women’s victory over Kent State, 83-47.  EMU’s Tavelyn James lit up the scorboard with 40 points.  She was mobbed after the game by the CYO girls youth teams in attendance.

PolVision of Chicago carried a feature from the game and there were broadcast highlights of the event telecast to Poland.

Editors Note:  Tomasz Czuprynski is a presenter for Telewizja-Detroit