This virtual program is presented by East-West Connections in partnership with The Museum of Russian Art (TMORA), the Russian Studies Department at Macalester College, Global Minnesota, and Russian Media of Minnesota.

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson asked Herbert Hoover to head the non-governmental American Relief Administration (ARA). Grounded in the spirit of compassion, Hoover enlisted the help of others to organize a “peace army” that saved millions from starvation and disease in Europe, Soviet Russia, and part of Ukraine.

In this online webinar, you’ll learn about a segment of our history that showcases the best of American humanitarian culture and values, with a particular emphasis on the role of Minnesotans and Midwesterners in organizing these international humanitarian efforts. Q&A will follow the presentation.

Thursday, May 4 |  7:00 – 8:00 PM CT

This webinar is free of charge. Advance registration is required. Program link will be emailed to all registrants prior to start.

REGISTER

THE PANELISTS:

Maria Fedorova is an Assistant Professor in the Russian Studies Department at Macalester College. Her research focuses on the history of food insecurity, agriculture, and US-Soviet relations.

Mark Ritchie served as Minnesota’s Agriculture Trade Policy Analyst in the 1980s, President of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy in the 1990s, and as Minnesota’s Secretary of State from 2007 to 2015. Over the past decade he has led Minnesota’s bid to host a World’s Fair focused on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal, under the the theme “Healthy People, Healthy Planet.” He is currently writing a play about how Minnesota’s James For Bell and Iowa’s Herbert Hoover came together to create an international humanitarian movement that kept the women and children of Belgium and Northern France from starving to death during the First World War.

Bernadine Joselyn moderates this one-hour discussion. Bernadine spent fifteen years in Soviet (and then post-Soviet) affairs. She served as a political officer at the US Embassy in Moscow and as Director for the Moscow operations of both the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) and the Eurasia Foundation. She now serves on the Board of East-West Connections and the American Committee for US-Russian Accord.