Central Organization Needed
For Polonian Community
On February 3rd, 2017, a group of activists, representing Polish communities on both the East and West Coasts of the United States, held a meeting in Miami Beach, Florida. Mr. Andrzej Burghardt, Mr. Edward Wojciech Jeśman, Mrs. Marie Lewandowski MD, Mr. Edmund Lewandowski, Mrs. Halina Koralewski, Mr. Zbigniew Koralewski, Mr. Leszek Pawlik, Mr. Stanislaw Sliwowski MD, and Mr. Zygmunt Staszewski were among the participants. All of the aforementioned participants are established members of Polonia organizations, including, the Polish American Congress.
The attendees reviewed the current state of American Polonia, and in unanimity, expressed their conviction that an efficient and effective central organization of Polonia is needed that must: unite Polish patriots; articulate their aspirations and beliefs; and represent them to the United States Federal Government, to the American public, and to the Government of Poland. Such a central organization would also act to influence Polonia and build civil and patriotic attitudes. The need for the creation of such an organization arose as a result of the vacuum created by changes in the mission, publicly stated, of disinterest in politics, and de facto withdrawal of the Polish American Congress (“PAC”) from its previous role as a representative of patriotic Polonia.
The participants of the meeting also discussed a number of specific topics such as the mission, name, structure, financing, registration, near term political agenda, and future fields of activity of the new organization. The interim organizing committee was appointed with all of the activists listed above as members. Mr. Zygmunt Staszewski was elected Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Andrzej Burghardt became Secretary, and Stanislaw Sliwowski, MD has agreed to act as a spokesman. The next meeting is set for April 22nd, 2017 at the American Czestochowa in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, along the IV Polonia Forum, with the goal to form the founding committee. The organizing committee’s interim tasks include the preparation of preliminary documents such as the mission, by-laws, objectives, and tasks of the new organization.
The organizing committee invites all interested persons and organizations to register to take part in the April meeting.
Stanisław Śliwowski, MD
spokesman, organizing committee
PS. Please send your registration application (name of person/organization, contact details, and short description of activities) to the organizing committee secretary, Andrzej Burghardt, at ARBurghardt@hotmail.com, and copy the contact persons.