In the late 1980s and into 1990, the situation in the Soviet Union was changing drastically. Gorbachev’s glasnost was not staving off the desire of conquered nations to be free. Lithuania and the other Baltic countries were pushing hard, singing loudly, and the world was listening.

 

In the U.S., Lithuanian Americans held vigils, marches, and protests in many cities and even on the steps of the U.S. capitol. Waving flags, speaking and singing, the Lithuanian Americans also wore badges created to magnify the reasons for their activity. On almost every badge “Freedom” was the word.