Lech Walesa visits Roanoke College

Roanoke College’s Henry H. Fowler Program is proud to welcome to campus Lech Walesa, leader of the Solidarity movement, former President of Poland, and 1983 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. He will speak on “Democracy: The Never-Ending Battle,” at the Bast Center on Monday, March 27, at 7:30 p.m. Complimentary tickets are required and available from Olin Box Office, (open 1-4 p.m. Monday-Friday), online at www.roanoke.edu/tickets, or by calling (540) 378-5125.

From electrician to labor leader to the first democratically elected president of Poland, Walesa’s life continues to leave a changed world in its wake.

In 1980, Walesa led the 10 million-member Solidarity Labor Movement that inspired fear in the hearts of communist leadership and hope in the hearts of those starved for freedom. Despite the crackdown of martial law and his repeated imprisonment, Walesa prevailed to see the end of communist rule in Poland and Eastern Europe.

For his heroic efforts, Walesa won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983. He received praise from leaders worldwide for his honor. That praise included these words from President Ronald Reagan: “It’s a victory for those who seek to enlarge the human spirit over those who seek to crush it.”

In 1990, Walesa was elected president of Poland. His term in office set Poland firmly on the path to becoming a free market democracy, enabling Poland to receive one of the first invitations to join and expand NATO.