40th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Taras Shevchenko Monument

40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEDICATION OF THE TARAS SHEVCHENKO MONUMENT -- (Extensions of Remarks - June 25, 2004)

SPEECH OF
HON. SANDER M. LEVIN
OF MICHIGAN
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2004

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, on June 26, 2004, the Ukrainian American community will be celebrating the 40th jubilee commemoration of the unveiling of the monument to Taras Shevchenko, known as the bard of Ukraine for his exquisite lyric poetry and numerous novels, as well as his many works of art.

Taras Shevchenko was born in the Kyiv region in 1814 to a childhood of servitude and a life of hardship. He first
worked as a houseboy until his owner realized his artistic talent, after which he was apprenticed to a painter. His
freedom was purchased in 1838 by another painter who appreciated Mr. Shevchenko's work.

An ardent champion of freedom and Ukrainian independence, Taras Shevchenko saw George Washington as a symbol
and liberator of the American people from the colonial rule of a foreign power. Mr. Shevchenko's works played a key
role in the awakening and drive for national liberation of the Ukrainian people. In his poems, he attacked tyrants,
oppressors and all enemies of human freedom and decency.

Mr. Shevchenko's love of freedom and criticism of the czars resulted in his arrest in 1847. He was first sentenced to
forced military duty, and later imprisonment, where he remained in Russian custody until his release in 1857, two years
after the death of Czar Nicholas. He was arrested again in 1859 and remained under police surveillance until his death
in 1861.

Years of harsh punishment did nothing to curtail his fight against the imperialist and colonial occupation of his native
land. Mr. Shevchenko secretly produced numerous works of poetry and art throughout his term of imprisonment which inspired the Ukrainian people.

Mr. Speaker, it is fitting that a statue honoring a man who fully embraced the ideals of personal freedom and human dignity, cornerstones of our country, should stand in the United States. I congratulate the Ukrainian American community on celebrating the 40th anniversary of the dedication of the Taras Shevchenko monument.