Remarks by Mrs. Laura Bush at the Launch of the Freedom Collection

Thank you very much, Kristen [Silverberg]. It was great to hear from Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. I had the honor of representing the people of the United States at her inauguration, and it was very moving—really wonderful—to see this very strong woman, who had been imprisoned, now being inaugurated as the president of her country, a country with which the United States is, of course, particularly close. Thank you very much, President Johnson Sirleaf, and thank you, Kristen.

Thank you very much for introducing me and for moderating the conversation with President Johnson Sirleaf. I also want to recognize the Slovak ambassador to the United States, who has joined us today—Peter Burian. Thank you very much for coming. Thank you so much for joining us.

[Applause]

The Freedom Collection really was an idea of Kristen Silverberg’s, who had worked for us, along with some other people who had worked in the Bush administration. I want to thank you very much, Kristen. I also want to thank Ambassador Reiss and Will Inboden, who have done so much to compile the Freedom Collection that we’re going to see a little bit of tonight. And I want to thank everybody here who has joined us this evening.

I’d like to acknowledge several people from President Bush’s administration for their contributions to building the Freedom Collection: Paula Dobriansky, the former Under Secretary of State, worked on compiling this collection; Elliott Abrams, the Deputy National Security Advisor, did as well; and Michael Gerson, a former speechwriter for President Bush, also worked on this collection. And of course, tonight I want to especially recognize the freedom advocates and dissidents in the audience whose voices are a part of the Freedom Collection. Thank you all for telling your stories and for your courage.

George and I have met with dozens of dissidents and democracy and human rights activists from around the world at the White House. We hosted the Dalai Lama and the late Czech President Václav Havel. We met with men and women from Iran, from North Korea, from Burma, from Cuba, and from many other tyrannies—people who risk everything so that their children might know freedom. Their stories are inspiring, and beginning today, the Freedom Collection makes their stories available to everyone.

The Freedom Collection is an active, living archive that documents the personal stories of men and women who have been involved in important freedom movements throughout the 20th century and now into the 21st century, including His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet and the late Czech President Václav Havel, and many others. Already, our team has interviewed nearly sixty freedom advocates whose accounts represent freedom movements from across the globe.

In the coming months, the Freedom Collection will expand to help preserve more stories of the world’s democracy and human rights movements. The death of President Havel in December reminds us of the urgency of this task. The democratic transformations that took place in Central and Eastern Europe, South Africa, and much of Latin America began just a few decades ago, and it’s important to record the stories of the men and women who led these movements.

Many of the stories in the Freedom Collection are historical accounts of freedom’s triumph over tyranny. Others are told by activists who are still longing for their freedom. The Freedom Collection includes stories from people in countries where the transition to freedom and democracy is underway. We’ve interviewed men and women in Tunisia and Egypt who are working to build the democratic institutions necessary for freedom to flourish. And in the collection are accounts from men and women in Burma, where years of oppression failed to stifle voices opposing the military junta.

Today, more than half of the world’s population lives in countries where basic human rights are restricted or denied. Dissidents and political prisoners in these countries remind us that even prison and oppression cannot silence the call for liberty.

In many parts of the world, women are the ones who are left out—just as we were in the United States until 1920—and they are lifting their voices and asking to be heard. Tonight, Rola Dashti, a former parliamentarian from Kuwait, has joined us, and I want Rola to know that I’ve been quoting her in speeches. In 2005, she said, “Half a democracy is not democracy.” Later that year, women gained the right to vote and run for office in Kuwait.

The Freedom Collection reminds us of our own history and our struggle for liberty—and of the challenge and the struggle for liberty that we still must work on every day. The Freedom Collection also reminds us of the challenges we face in supporting freedom movements around the world. To those still struggling against tyranny and working to build democracies, the Freedom Collection provides encouragement and inspiration. We want all those who are speaking out against oppression and injustice to know that we are standing with them.

So tonight, I’m happy to introduce a short documentary that’s part of the Freedom Collection. This documentary tells the stories of why men and women become dissidents and choose to speak out.

Thank you all for joining us this evening.

[Applause]