The East Side Freedom Library and the Minnesota Polish Medical Society invite you to visit the Faces of Solidarity photography and oral history exhibit, with community panel discussions to come.

The exhibit opening is on Saturday, September 10, 3-6pm at ESFL and will be on display at the Library through Sunday, October 9.

Solidarity (“Solidarnosc”) was the most prominent freedom movement in the Eastern Bloc during the 1980s. With the support of almost 10 million members, it played a significant role in ending Soviet-imposed communist rule in Poland. After martial law was imposed in Poland many activists in this movement experienced state repression, including imprisonment. Some of these individuals and their families fled Poland, moved to the United States, and settled in Minnesota. The stories of Solidarnosc activists, in particular, have been largely absent in the popular narrative, in part because these individuals have rarely spoken publicly about their experiences during that time.

Sponsored and curated by the Minnesota Polish Medical Society (MPMS), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, and featuring photographs by Grzegorz Litynski, this exhibit was first displayed at the Minnesota State Capitol in December 2021, marking the 40th anniversary of the imposition of authoritarian rule in Poland. MPMS supports select educational and cultural events and activities with a particular focus on the Polish-American perspective. The project has received grant support from the Minnesota Historical Society, Minnesota State Arts Board, and the Metro Regional Arts Council.

From our beginnings eight years ago, ESFL has been committed to exploring the intersections of immigrant and labor history. We welcome this particular exhibit which aims to educate about issues of immigration, the diversity of the Minnesota population, the importance of oral history narratives from a microhistory perspective and touches upon many universal values (solidarity, dignity, freedom, resilience, post-traumatic growth, community building, inclusiveness, health access, and equity).

ESFL and MPMS share the goal to create an exhibit that allows audiences to relate empathically with Solidarnosc activists, while reflecting on their own stories of connection to liberation movements worldwide, and their own traumas of emigration and resettlement. We will consider it a success if Polish-Americans feel included in Minnesota’s story of immigration, and if observers experience a powerful sense of empathy in witnessing the stories through a positive and compassionate lens. We will be curating panel discussions for the weekends of September 17 and 24 and October 1, which will, hopefully, nourish such reflection. Please follow our website, Facebook, and Instagram pages for information about these panels.

Free and open to all