Genesis Story
The Hungarian Freedom Fighter statue has been years in the making. It started as a way to honor a family legacy, but it has grown to become a national symbol.
1956-ers who fled Hungary to come to the United States, have long made up the core of the Hungarian American community. Many became pioneers in their industries. This statue will serve as a permanent reminder of the unsung heroes who waged battle against communism and the Soviet Union. She is a symbol of freedom and democracy and the values that Hungarians and Americans share.
The Hungarian Revolution of 1956, though only successful for 13 days, brought freedom to the region and showed the true and terrible face of communism to the world. This is a story worth celebrating and commemorating.
There is an urgent need to remind the next generation of global history, before tragic mistakes of the past are repeated. More than 30 years after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, communist ideology is gaining ground across the world, including in the US. When the Iron Curtain was dismantled, 300 million people were liberated. We must never forget.
Who is Behind the Statue Project?
The Hungarian American Coalition is the largest umbrella organization representing the Hungarian American community nationwide and was founded by several 1956-ers. Coalition President, Andrea Lauer Rice, daughter, granddaughter and niece of ‘56-ers, is based in Roswell, GA, and is spearheading the project. She is working with John E. Parkerson, Honorary Hungarian Consul General of Atlanta.
They work with an Advisory Board of local Hungarian Americans, ‘56-ers and families of ‘56-ers. They include: Kinga Ertavy Sherrill, Szilvia and Imre Szafrics, Melinda Setenyi, Beata Klenik, Gabriel Udvarhelyi Hill and countless others who have offered support, guidance and shared their stories.
