CHICAGO: Sędzia Aurelia Pucinski wygłosiła płomienny apel w czasie tegorocznych obchodów Dnia Pułaskiego w Muzeum Polskim w Ameryce, zachęcając Polonię do większego zaangażowania w działalność na rzecz swoich środowisk.
Aurelia Pucinski nawiązała do osiągnięć, do odwagi, poświęcenia Kazimierza Pulaskiego w czasie walki o niepodległość Stanów Zjednoczonych.
W drugiej części swojego przemówienia zachęcała 900,000 Polonię mieszkającą w aglomeracji chicagowskiej do dalszego zaangażowania w swoich lokalnych społecznościach.
Oto końcowy fragment jej przemówienia:
„Możemy coś zbudować. Możemy budować na jego ideałach, pracując razem, aby zapewnić, że proces rządu, który Pułaski pomógł pielęgnować, jest uznaniem naszej polsko-amerykańskiej obecności i wartości.
Każdy z nas może pracować we własnych społecznościach, aby uczestniczyć w samorządach lokalnych, wydarzeniach lub celach. Takie postępowanie przynosi uznanie Polonii i daje opcje zaangażowania.
Każdy z nas może zdecydować o wsparciu lokalnych kandydatów polonijnych głosami i środkami; lub jeszcze lepiej zostać kandydatem polsko-amerykańskim na poziomie lokalnym. Potrafimy stworzyć zespół sprawdzonych i zaufanych kandydatów polonijnych na większe urzędy, a jednocześnie uwiarygodnić nasze wartości.
I każdy z nas może pociągnąć wybranych przez siebie urzędników na każdym szczeblu do odpowiedzialności za ich zaangażowanie na rzecz naszej polonijnej społeczności. W Cook County mieszka 900 000 mieszkańców polskiego dziedzictwa. To mniej więcej jeden na siedem. Żaden urzędnik publiczny nie powinien nigdy o tym zapomnieć lub zignorować.
Wzywam każdego z nas do przyjęcia nieustraszonej determinacji Pułaskiego w naszym współczesnym życiu. Proszę, bądźcie odważni. Wyjdź z kokonu Polonii. Nauczyłeś się już radzić sobie z wyznaczaniem celów, niezgodą, budowaniem konsensusu. Teraz znajdź sposób, aby wykorzystać te umiejętności w większej społeczności. Współpracuj z sąsiadami i wnieś naszą historię, dziedzictwo i głos do życia publicznego naszych społeczności. Sto Lat!”
Sędzia Aurelia Pucinski działa od kilku dekard w służbie publicznej powiatu Cook i stanu Illinois. Jej ojciec, śp Roman Pucinski był Kongresmanem przez kilka kadencji, pilotem wojskowym, dziennikarzem, potem pełnił funkcjeęradnego w Chicago. Jego mama Lidia Pucinska była w przeszłości znaną aktorką, działaczka, prowadziła program radiowy przez ponad 50 lat.
Poniżej zamieszczam treść przemówienia Sędzi Aurelii Pucinskiej w języku angielskim za jej zgodą.
@ Andrzej Mikołajczyk
Remarks of Justice Aurelia Pucinski
(Posted by permission)
Pulaski Day, March 1, 2021
We come together each March to celebrate the life of Casimir Pulaski and to commemorate his death in the cause of freedom.
We hear the history of the man, his achievements and his battles.
We are proud that this Polish man came to America to fight for the liberty we share today.
And we stand in awe of his courage as he faced the enemy and gave his life.
Casimir Pulaski was brave. He fought in battles with a horse and sword and helped save an infant nation at its birth.
We cannot match his bravery on the battlefield. We cannot go out with horses and swords to flay at the threats to our beliefs. Ours is a different kind of battle – an intellectual one.
But we can and should take a lesson from the true bravery of Pulaski.
When Pulaski left Europe to sail the Atlantic for our unknown shores he showed the same bravery that almost all of us have seen in our families or for ourselves.
Every Polish American knows what it is to come across an ocean to face the unknown.
Every Polish American knows the history of that crossing, either for themselves or members of their family.
Every Polish American knows intimately what it is to give up the known for the unknown; to search for a better life; to risk everything for independence and liberty.
And every Polish American knows that independence is one of our core values, along with faith and family.
The independence to work, to pray, to own a home or business, to provide for our families, to have our own thoughts and opinions is a cherished Polish value that we all share.
And everyone who is Polish or knows Polish people also knows that their independent streak runs deep.
And every Polish American knows, as Pulaski knew, that independence is not free: it is hard work.
It is also what often fragments our diaspora. And as we fragmented over the past generation we have lost many of the benefits of cohesion. We are scattered across the landscape of Illinois, no longer rooted in common neighborhoods. We have scattered our focus as well, with different groups turning inward to promote individual strengths. But it is respecting our common goals that makes us strong.
We are all participants in this great tension: the question is how to get back the respect we once had while still respecting each other’s independence.
Like Pulaski, we can make the choice to work on our common goals.
Each family and each organization can work to focus attention on Polish American contributions to this community.
Each family and each organization can join forces to get the attention of political leaders who often forget we are here.
And each individual in Polonia can do the one thing that gets the attention of elected officials: we can all vote.
If we are saddened and depressed that there are now no Polish American Congressmen or Alderman in Chicago let us take heart in the fearless determination of Pulaski to never give up, to keep at it, to work together using our brains and our ideals to peacefully influence the political life of our community.
Pulaski was not just handed a successful and fearsome Cavalry. He had to build one, had to face challenges from Congress, from other generals, from the enemy. But he did it and left behind his legacy as the Father of the American Cavalry based on his steadfast belief that he could create something that was formidable and necessary.
We can build something. We can build on his ideals by working together to assure that the process of the government Pulaski helped nurture gives recognition to our Polish American presence and values.
Each of us can work in our own communities to participate in local government, events or causes. Doing that brings credit to Polonia and provides the optics of engagement.
Each of us can decide to support local Polish American candidates with votes and contributions; or better yet, to become a Polish American candidate at the local level. We can create a farm team of tried and trusted Polish American candidates for larger offices at the same time it brings credibility to our values.
And each of us can hold our elected officials at every level accountable for their commitment to our Polish American community. There are 900,000 residents of Polish heritage in Cook County. That is about one in seven. No public official should ever be allowed to forget that or ignore it.
I call on each of us to embrace the fearless determination of Pulaski in our modern lives. I am asking you to be brave. Get outside of the cocoon of Polonia. You have already learned to deal with goal setting, discord, consensus building. Now find some way to put those skills to work in the larger community. Work together with your neighbors and bring our history, heritage and voice to the public life of our communities.
Sto Lat!”