On Thursday, April 16, the Polish Falcons of America hosted a Town Hall Meeting between U. S. Senator Arlen Specter and Western Pennsylvania’s Polish-American community at the University of Pittsburgh.
Entitled “Speak-Up Polonia,” the event was the result of an on-going “frank and honest dialogue” between leaders of the Polish-American community and Senator Specter in response to public remarks delivered by the Senator in early December before the Commonwealth Club in New York City. During that address, Senator Specter made several disparaging comments about Poles that caused a negative public reaction and great concern within Polonia.

The Town Hall Meeting, which was open to the public, attracted over 80 attendees from all segments of Polonia, including senior citizens, students and recent immigrants.

“The main purpose of the event was to provide our community with the opportunity to share their concern with the Senator and to give him an opportunity to respond publically,” notes Polish Falcons President Timothy L. Kuzma. “As the largest ethnic organization in Western Pennsylvania, and one of the most important ethnic fraternals in the country, it was important the we play a leadership role in this initiative. We will not tolerate any attempts at disparaging our community or our heritage.”

“We were able to hear the Senator apologize publicly for his misstep, and we accepted it. It’s important for us to stress the influence and importance of Polonia to such public figures, and that the issues important to our community need to be taken into account.”

President Kuzma and the Falcons national headquarters staff responded quickly and energetically to media coverage of Senator’s Specter’s remarks; President Kuzma was interviewed extensively by the media, including segments on KDKA radio promoting the Town Hall Meeting. The Senator offered to hold publiv meeting in Pittsburgh during a visit by President Kuzma and other Polonia leaders at Specter’s Capital Hill Office on January 13, 2009. The April 16 public meeting was hosted by the University of Pittsburgh Office of Federal Government Relations and organized in collaboration with the Polish Cultural Council and the Polish American Congress, Western Pennsylvania Division.

Although the foremost topic of the meeting centered on Senator Specter’s faux pas, other topics related to Poland and Polish-Americans were brought up during a lengthy question-and-answer period. These included visa waivers for Poles coming to the United States, the proposed missile defense shield in Poland, as well as the Senator’s record in support of Polish issues.

One spectator questioned the Senator’s voting record, particularly on denying Poland’s membership to NATO, which Specter excused as “a serious mistake.” “I admit that I was wrong,” Specter noted to the gathering, “at the time I felt that it was too soon for Poland and the other former Easter Bloc countries to join NATO, that it would anger the Russians and destabilize the situation. When I am wrong I admit it, and history has proven me as wrong on that particular issue.”

The Pennsylvania Senator stressed his various fact-finding visits to Poland and various affirmative votes on Polish issues as well as his support in granting Poland visa exemption status. In addition to these topics, several attendees asked questions about the Senator’s general voting record, particularly on the controversial Stimulus Package, illegal immigration and social issues.

“Most importantly, we were able to hear the Senator apologize publicly for his misstep, and we accepted it,” President Kuzma observes. “It’s important for us to stress the influence and importance of Polonia to such public figures, and that the issues important to our community need to be taken into account.”

Please Note: On April 28, 2009, Senator Arlen Specter announced that he has switched political affiliations from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party