Join us for a live conversation connection historical analysis with personal experience with Anusa Lepadatu in conversation with Dr. Manolis Ulbricht. This dialogue connects lived experience and historical analysis-from Bucharest to Berlin-and explores how the revolutionary year 1989 reshaped Europe and continues to define ideas of freedom and democracy today.
In 1989, a wave of revolutions swept across Eastern Europe, bringing an end to decades of communist rule and reshaping the political landscape of the continent—and the world we live in today. From the fall of the Berlin Wall to the dramatic events in Romania, these transformations marked a turning point in modern history. This event invites you to explore this pivotal moment through historical context and lived experience.
Program
6:00 P.M. - RECEPTION
Food & light refreshments
6:30-8:00 P.M. - MAIN EVENT
Introduction: Europe and the Iron Curtain
Historical Background: Romania after World War II
Eyewitness Testimony: The Romanian Revolution of 1989
Anusa Lepadatu was born in Bucharest, Romania, and lived under the communist regime until the revolution of December 1989, which she witnessed firsthand. She later pursued higher education in Romania, Canada, and the United States, earning degrees in law and nursing, including a Master's as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. Having left Romania in 2002, she remains deeply committed to sharing her experiences and reflecting on the meaning of freedom, political change, and historical memory.
Dr. Manolis Ulbricht is a native of Berlin, born in the American sector of the divided city, who experienced the fall of the Berlin Wall firsthand, witnessing the reunification not only of Germany but also of his family. After studies in Berlin, Athens, and Damascus, he pursued a Ph.D. at Freie Universität Berlin, joining the University of St. Thomas as a scholar in Byzantine, Islamic, and Medieval Mediterranean History.