[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 151 (Wednesday, October 21, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2282]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING LATVIAN INDEPENDENCE DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 20, 1998

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Cleveland's 
Latvian community in celebrating 80 years of independence. Latvian-
Americans have become an important part of this area, enriching it with 
their native heritage and lively culture.
  The Latvian Community in Cleveland traces back its origins to 1897, 
when 28 families formed the Emmanuel Lutheran Parish. At the end of 
World War II, the evasion of communism caused a massive immigration of 
Latvians to the United States, during which more than 2,500 displaced 
Latvians chose the Cleveland area as their home.
  This community of Latvian immigrants has grown throughout the years, 
entering America's economic and educational mainstream, but always 
maintaining their Latvian heritage by sharing native foods, folk songs 
and dancing with their neighboring communities. The Latvian 
organizations in Cleveland have promoted and preserved their native 
values and culture, as well as worked to expose the ravages of 
communism. They contributed to the dream and final reality of an 
independent Latvia, when the country regained its independence in 1991, 
after 50 years of Soviet domination.
  My fellow colleagues, please join me in honoring Latvia's 80th 
Independence Day celebration in the Greater Cleveland area. This event 
commemorates the many accomplishments of this community, and it 
recognizes the struggle to gain the freedom they have enjoyed for the 
past eight decades. Latvian-Americans continue to hold on to their 
Latvian heritage, culture, traditions and maintain ties with family and 
friends who live in their native land.

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