Hundreds of thousands of Slovaks and Czechs fled their homeland during the communist era, many risking their lives in the process. Their stories, about why and how they emigrated, are sometimes dramatic, sometimes tragic, and are essential to our understanding of the events that shaped the 20th Century.
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, under the auspices of the Ambassador of the Slovak Republic H.E. Peter Burian and the Slovakia Meetup Group, will present video footage from a major two-year oral history project, which is thought to be the first of its kind in the country.
The project, which has a national scope, captures and preserves the stories of Czechs and Slovaks who left their homeland during the Cold War and settled in Chicago, Cleveland and Washington D.C. The project’s website (http://www.ncsml.org/Content/Oral-Histories.aspx) shows video extract
s from interviews, photos and biographies of Slovaks and Czechs who began a new life in the United States.
“Recording Voices & Documenting Memories of Czech & Slovak Americans” has been made possible thanks to a grant awarded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and in cooperation with the Office of Slovaks Living Abroad, the Slovak Institute in Cleveland, the Czech Consulate in Chicago and the Chicago chapter of SVU.
Full length interviews are available for further research at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. For more information call 319-362-8500 or via email: info(at)NCSML(dot)org.
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the foremost institution in the United States preserving and interpreting Czech & Slovak history and culture. It is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
www.NCSML.org