Dolores Huerta in black and white, speaking in front of a podium labelled "Kennedy"
Speech:

Speech to CLUW National Executive Board and Conference on Family Issues

Speaker:

Dolores Huerta

1981 - 2000 / Gender Equity and Labor Justice
Dolores Clara Fernandez, later known as Dolores Huerta, was born on April 10, 1930, in Dawson, New Mexico. When she was a toddler, her parents divorced and her mother moved with her three children to Stockton, California. Her mother served as a role model for Huerta as she provided for her family as a single parent. The family’s financial situation changed when her mother remarried and the couple decided to invest in a hotel that allowed the family to experience a middle-class lifestyle.  Read more.
José Basulto in a color photo, reading in a photo in front of a microphone and sign that reads, "Asesinados!"
Speech:

United Nations Press Statement on the 1996 Opa-Locka Shootdown

Speaker:

José Basulto

1981 - 2000 / National Security and Social Justice
A Cuban-born humanitarian, José Jesús Basulto León was known for his continual fight to restore democracy in Cuba and his passion for saving and preserving the lives of Cuban exiles. Basulto was born in Santiago de Cuba Oriente on August 8, 1940 to parents José and Lidia Basulto. When Basulto was two, his family moved to Havana to be closer to the American sugarcane company where his father worked. Shortly after, his mother passed away.[note]Gonzalo Porcel, “IPH Transcript – Jose Basulto (7/5/1999),” Oral History Collections, Institute of Public History, University of Miami, Miami, FL.[/note] He lived a full and happy childhood in Havana, and developed an interest in math and physics. In 1959, Basulto moved to the United States right after Fidel Castro’s revolution successfully overthrew the Cuban President Fulgencio Batista. He was able to study physics at Boston College for almost a year before the trajectory of his life changed completely.[note]Julio Estorino and José Gastón, “Interview with José Basulto (1/8/2009),” Luis J. Botifoll Oral History Project, University of Miami Digital Collections, University of Miami, Miami, FL.[/note] Basulto’s family had come to understand and even fear the outcome of the Cuban revolution. During his first year at Boston College, Basulto decided to take action against the Castro regime. In 1960, he went back to Cuba, and was recruited by the U.S. intelligence community to participate in what eventually became the Bay of Pigs invasion that occurred in April of 1961.[note]Bill Kress, “‘Brothers to the Rescue’ Leader Honored by South Miami Commission with Street-Sign Dedication,” South Miami Community News, January 10, 2018, https://communitynewspapers.com/south-miami-featured/brothers-to-the-rescue-leader-honored-by-south-miami-commission-at-street-sign-dedication/.[/note] In preparation for this mission, Basulto trained for several months in the island of Useppa to be a radio operator. He then received advanced training in Panama, Guatemala, and in Virginia at a CIA base to prepare for the U.S.-backed confrontations against Cuba. When he re-entered Cuba, he was disguised as a Boston College dropout returning home to study in Oriente. Once there, he began sending information back to the U.S. government about internal Cuban affairs.[note]“Jose Basulto, Cuban Exile and Bay of Pigs Veteran,” 2010 Sunday Miami Book Fair International Live Coverage, C-Span, November 21, 2010, https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4960024/jose-basulto-cuban-exile-bay-pigs-veteran.[/note] Basulto also worked with the CIA to set up a “resistance network” in Cuba to try to “tap into a surging sentiment for freedom” amongst the Cuban people.[note]Bill Newcott, “After 60 Years, Bay of Pigs Disaster Still Haunts Veterans Who Fought,” National Geographic, April 16, 2021, www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/bay-of-pigs-disaster-still-haunts-veterans-who-faught-60th-anniversary?loggedin=true&rnd=1688571260910.[/note] As Basulto carried out other intelligence missions in Cuba, he came to realize the lack of humanitarian care the U.S. government expressed towards the Cuban people in the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs offensive. In November of 1961, Basulto and the rest of his team entered Havana in an attempt to locate and destroy a missile base where the team would have died had not a U.S. gunboat rescued them. During this period, Basulto became convinced “there was no serious purpose on the part of the Government of the United States to assist the freedom fighting people of Cuba.”[note] Porcel, “IPH Transcript – Jose Basulto.”[/note] Basulto’s epiphany would shape the rest of his life. Basulto went on to develop his career and his commitment to the Cuban people. He pursued an engineering degree at the University of Miami and developed his skills as a pilot. He also settled down in the Miami area with his wife and five children.[note]Porcel, “IPH Transcript – Jose Basulto.”[/note] And of most importance to unit, Basulto pursued his activist work by supporting Cuban exiles. In 1991, Basulto and his long-time friend, Billy Schultz, took the lead on launching the humanitarian organization, “Brothers to the Rescue” (or “Hermanos al Rescate”) in Miami, Florida. Both felt more U.S. aid was needed to help Cuban rafters make it safely to the banks of the Florida coast. Basulto and Schultz decided that they would fly planes to locate Cuban rafters, contact the Coast Guard, and drop life-saving supplies to those fleeing Cuba.[note]Robert C. Jones Jr., “Cuban Heritage Collection Acquires Brothers to the Rescue Archives,” News@TheU, January 10, 2014, news.miami.edu/stories/2014/01/cuban-heritage-collection-acquires-brothers-to-the-rescue-archives.html.[/note] Over time, Basulto recruited an entire team of pilots and volunteers who would tag-team flights; the pilots could fly through international air space while the co-pilot scouted the horizon for refugees. Along with preserving the lives of those trying to make it to the United States, Basulto and his fellow pilots used nonviolent means inspired by Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. to encourage civil disobedience in Cuba.[note]Mireya Navarro, “Nonviolence of Castro’s Foes Still Wears a Very Tough Face,” New York Times, February 28, 1996, www.nytimes.com/1996/02/28/world/nonviolence-of-castro-s-foes-still-wears-a-very-tough-face.html.[/note] During his flights over Cuban air space, Basulto and his colleagues dropped leaflets printed in Spanish with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and with various democratic calls-to-action.[note]“Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” United Nations, December 10, 1948, https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights.[/note] Such leaflets would find their way into Havana, greatly upsetting Castro’s administration and his supporters.[note]After Basulto’s speech, there was a question and answer portion. While we did not include the Q&A in our speech text, this note is credited to page 5 of the Q&A located at the end of the Basulto text found in the Cuban Heritage Papers at the University of Miami archives. See: José Basulto, “United Nations Press Statement on the 1996 Opa-Locka Shootdown,” 5.[/note] The speech featured in this unit marks one of the most climactic moments involving Brothers to the Rescue (BttR). On February 24, 1996, three Brothers to the Rescue planes set off from Opa Locka airport on a routine flyover to the Florida Straits. Basulto was in one plane and the other two planes carried two pilots and two volunteers split between them, including: Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, and Mario de la Peña. As they entered the 24th parallel, two Cuban MiG planes shot down the two planes carrying Alejandre, Costa, Morales, and Peña. Basulto made it back to Opa Locka airport safely but the other four were killed.[note]José Basulto,1st Dossier 6th Month Superseded Binder, Box 41 (13), Shootdown FOIA Dossier, Hermanos al Rescate Papers, Cuban Heritage Collection, University of Miami, Miami, FL, 2-3.[/note] On March 7, 1996, Basulto, Armando Alejandre’s father, and Mario de la Peña’s mother were invited to speak at a United Nations press conference in New York to detail what would become an international incident with criminal implications.[note] We assume that this speech was given at the United Nations headquarters in New York, although we have not been able to confirm this information.[/note] Basulto, already frustrated with the lack of U.S. intervention, called for Cuba to be held accountable for the unprovoked attack on Americans.[note]Basulto, “United Nations Press Statement on the 1996 Opa-Locka Shootdown,” para. 5.[/note] The downing attracted press attention for weeks as the international incident was debated and investigated.[note]Rene Sanchez and Catherine Skipp, “Two Exile Planes Shot Down Near Cuba,” Washington Post, February 25, 1996, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1996/02/25/two-exile-planes-shot-down-near-cuba/f5c76c05-677b-4f55-9a62-67873660d992/.[/note] In response, the Cuban government claimed the attack was provoked. The Castro regime justified its actions on allegations that the planes were armed and intended to drop bombs across Cuba. Government officials also treated the BttR’s leaflets dropped into Cuban waters as “propaganda” and a threat to Cuban leaders and citizens.[note]John Ward Anderson, “Cuba Says It Has Proof U.S. Planes Crossed Line,” Washington Post, February 27, 1996, www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1996/02/27/cuba-says-it-has-proof-us-planes-crossed-line/fef7a635-1024-417a-b472-4dff5daffedd/.[/note] This information reportedly came from Cuban double-agent Juan Pablo Roque, who pretended to work for Brothers to the Rescue while spying on them for the FBI and sending information back to the Cuban government.[note]Roque, who had left for Cuba the day before the shooting occurred, claimed that BttR engaged in “terrorist” actions – one of those being a plan to assassinate Cuban leaders. Roque also claimed that the BttR pilots left for a flight on the 24th of February knowing that they weren’t allowed to enter Cuban airspace. See: Tracy Eaton, “Retired Spy in Brothers to the Rescue Case Lives in Obscurity,” Florida Center for Investigative Reporting, October 2, 2012, fcir.org/2012/10/02/retired-spy-in-brothers-to-the-rescue-case-lives-in-obscurity/.; “Cuba/Roque Interview,” Box 41 (13), Shootdown FOIA Dossier, Shootdown: Roque Interview Folder, Hermanos al Rescate Papers, Cuban Heritage Collection, University of Miami, Miami, FL, 1-3.[/note] Basulto later learned that the U.S. Department of State purportedly received word through their intelligence sources that the Cuban government would likely engage in hostility toward any planes that entered Cuban airspace.[note]Basulto, 1st Dossier 6th Month Superseded, 1.[/note] In spite of this alleged forewarning, Brothers to the Rescue pilots were not alerted of the dangers and were not prevented from taking off. Though the Clinton administration condemned the Cuban government’s actions, Basulto’s pilot license was revoked by the FAA. The FAA maintained that Basulto “ignored numerous warnings” issued by both the FAA and U.S. Department of State. Brothers to the Rescue disbanded shortly thereafter.[note]William Branigin, “FAA Revokes Cuban Exile’s Pilot’s Permit,” Washington Post, May 17, 1996, www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1996/05/17/faa-revokes-cuban-exiles-pilots-permit/3f06af2e-0c1c-449d-a6db-405d4724e4e8/.[/note] José Basulto dedicated the next several years of his life to the well-being of Cubans in South Florida. He helped write a book named after his plane, Seagull One, to preserve his story and the history of Brothers to the Rescue. He actively attends ceremonies that keep the memory of the deceased pilots alive and commemorates their bravery in trying to help Cuban refugees seek greater freedom.[note]Kress, “‘Brothers to the Rescue’ Leader Honored by South Miami Commission with Street-Sign Dedication.”[/note] As of this writing, Basulto is still alive today and living in Miami.  Read more.
Mollie H. Beattie in fishing gear and boots in front of a scenic lake and mountain
Speech:

Statement of Mollie H. Beattie, Nominated to be Director, Fish and Wildlife Service

Speaker:

Mollie H. Beattie

1981 - 2000 / Environmental Advocacy and Gender Equity
Mollie Hanna Beattie (April 27, 1947 – June 27, 1996) was an American conservationist and the first woman to head the United States Fish and Wildlife service (FWS). Born in Glen Cove, New York, Beattie earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Marymount College-Tarrytown, a master’s degree in forestry from the University of Vermont, and a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard. After graduating from Marymount College in 1968, Beattie spent four years as a journalist before moving to Colorado where she worked as a mountaineering instructor for two years. It was during this time in Colorado that Beattie realized her true calling was the protection and study of the environment.  Read more.
Martine Rothblatt speaking in front of a podium with microphones, black and white photo
Speech:

Respecting Choice: Genital Surgery as an Option

Speaker:

Martine Rothblatt

1981 - 2000 / Gender Equity and LGBTQ+ Activism
Martine Rothblatt, a prolific innovator, musician, and one of the wealthiest transgender people in the world, was born in 1954 in Chicago and raised in a suburb of San Diego. Rothblatt went to college at UCLA where they earned an MBA and JD. After graduating from UCLA, Rothblatt met and married their second spouse, Bina. The couple cross-adopted each other's children, Eli and Sunnee, and eventually had two more children together, Jenesis and Gabriel. The family lived in Washington D.C., where Rothblatt worked for a law firm before enrolling in the University of Maryland’s graduate program in astronomy.  Read more.
Wohlforth with activists holding a sign that says, "An Injury to One is an An Injury to All" with a "Pride at Work" symbol
Speech:

Stop the Hate

Speaker:

Nancy Wohlforth

1981 - 2000 / Labor Justice and LGBTQ+ Activism

Nancy F. Wohlforth (1945 - present)—a union leader and labor activist—was known for her fierce commitment to social justice issues. She was especially known for her work to secure fair treatment of labor rights for gays and lesbians. Her upbringing was influenced by socialist parents whose lives were affected greatly by the insecurity of the Great Depression. Born in June 1945, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, her family provided her with a foundation of labor politics at an early age.[note]Nancy Wohlforth, interview by Miriam Frank, April 11, 1995, “Out in the Union,” transcript, Gays and Lesbians in the Labor Movement, Miriam Frank Oral History Collection, OH 039, Box 5, Tape 48-49, Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives at New York University. [/note] While a student at Columbia University in 1968, Wohlforth participated in student-labor alliances and sit-ins on behalf of anti-war and anti-segregation protests. After she earned a degree in U.S. history, Wohlforth went on to do clerical work for the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU).[note]Ibid.[/note] In the mid-1970s, Wohlforth moved to San Francisco and served in various roles as an international union official. Prior to coming out as a lesbian, Wohlforth married fellow labor activist and author Tim Wohlforth. The two remained close after their divorce in 1977.[note]Ibid.[/note]

Some of Wohlforth’s most notable work involved the fusion of LGBT history and labor politics that began with the Coors boycotts in 1977. Known for their union-busting practices, the Adolph Coors Company also resisted the calls for grape boycotts from Dolores Huerta and César Chávez of the United Farm Workers a decade prior. Additionally, the company’s hiring practices appeared discriminatory toward many groups, including women, gays and lesbians, as well as black and Latinx workers.[note]Cole B. Erin and Allyson Brantley, “The Coors Boycott: When A Beer Can Signaled Your Politics,” Colorado Public Radio, October 3, 2014, https://www.cpr.org/2014/10/03/the-coors-boycott-when-a-beer-can-signaled-your-politics/.[/note] The International Brotherhood of Teamsters union (IBT) credited employment discrimination as the reason for the alliance between gay rights and labor rights. The LGBT coalition was especially troubled by Coors’ hiring practices because the company asked about applicants’ sexuality and pro-union support on its employment application. Applicants were barred from employment if they self-identified as lesbian or gay and if they expressed support for unions.[note]Press Associates, Inc., “Teamsters Pride At Work: A Look Back At The Coors Boycott,” Teamsters, June 2, 2017, https://teamster.org/blog/2017/06/teamsters-pride-work-look-back-coors-boycott.[/note] In 1977, the AFL-CIO joined a boycott against Coors, and Wohlforth introduced a resolution before the OPEIU to boycott Coors. She joined forces with Harvey Milk and other activists in the 1970s to drive Coors beer out of every gay and lesbian bar in the city of San Francisco.[note]Ibid.[/note] In 2017, Wohlforth recalled the drama of the moment: "The gay bartenders marched out with the bottles of beer and dumped them in the sewers. Coors was anti-gay, and racist and anti-Latino. And to this day, you can’t find Coors in a gay bar in San Francisco."[note]Ibid.[/note]

The boycott lasted a decade before negotiations between the AFL-CIO and Coors were finalized, but the alliance between labor and LGBT causes encouraged gays and lesbians in unions to branch out to other issues. After the Coors boycott, Wohlforth co-founded the Lesbian and Gay Labor Alliance (LGLA) in 1980. The LGLA aligned with other LGBT labor caucuses to leverage their power with the AFL-CIO to oppose same-sex discrimination and to support domestic partner benefits in 1983. They also opposed anti-gay-rights initiatives proposed in 1993.[note]Nancy Wohlforth, interview by Miriam Frank.[/note]

Experienced unionists from LGLA and other LGBT interest groups joined forces under Wohlforth’s leadership to found Pride at Work (PAW) in 1994.[note]The name “Pride at Work” originated as the title of an organizing handbook published in 1990 based on the formation of many different gay coalitions in several unions. Desma Holcomb and Nancy Wohlforth, "The Fruits of Our Labor: Pride at Work," New Labor Forum, no. 8 (2001): 18.[/note] PAW’s founding mission was to address cases of workplace mistreatment against gay and lesbian people. Prior to their formation, all discrimination issues were handled locally by the union. In 1997, the Executive Council of the AFL-CIO voted unanimously to incorporate PAW as an official constituency group.[note]Stefen Styrsky, “Lesbian Assumes a Top AFL-CIO Role,” Gay City News, September 21, 2005, Updated July 20, 2018, https://www.gaycitynews.nyc/stories/2005/19/lesbian-assumes-a-top-2005-09-21.html.[/note]

In 1999, Wohlforth delivered a speech at a panel on hate crimes at the annual AFL-CIO convention in Los Angeles, CA. There, she used the highly publicized murders of James Byrd Jr., a black man murdered by white supremacists, and Matthew Shepard, a gay man murdered for his sexuality, to advocate for hate crime legislation that included sexuality protections.[note]Benjamin Bradley, “Nancy Wohlforth: Uniting the Labor and LGBT Movements,” University of Maryland Special Collections & University Archives, June 29, 2017, https://hornbakelibrary.wordpress.com/2017/06/29/nancy-wohlforth-uniting-the-labor-and-lgbt-movements/.[/note] Without proper legislation, there was no clear way to track violence against LGBT people. To build solidarity, Wohlforth’s address featured vivid analogies between the LGBT community and other disempowered groups (e.g., immigrants, people of color, and women). Wohlforth sought to prove that hate represented a common enemy to the labor movement as a whole. She ended her speech with the rallying cry from the Industrial Workers of the World, “An Injury to One is an Injury to All!”[note]William Dudley Haywood, The Autobiography of Big Bill Haywood (New York: International Publishers, 1929), 186.[/note]

Wohlforth also served as the international vice president, business manager, and secretary treasurer of OPEIU. Her position as vice president in the OPEIU earned her recognition as the first “out” lesbian international official in any union. In 2005, she was elected to the executive council of the AFL-CIO.[note]Nancy Wohlforth, OPEIU Website, Archived July 7, 2011, Internet Archive, https://web.archive.org/web/20110717025818/http://www.opeiu.org/AboutOPEIU/OurNationalLeaders/NancyWohlforth/tabid/122/Default.aspx.[/note] After she retired, Wohlforth stayed in the Washington, D.C. area with her partner, Denice Lombard,[note]Johanna Li, “50 Years After Transplant: The Oldest Living Kidney Donor Pair Are Still Going Strong,” Inside Edition, April 4, 2017, https://www.insideedition.com/headlines/22602-50-years-after-transplant-the-oldest-living-kidney-donor-pair-are-still-going-strong. Few articles have been written about Wohlforth and Lombard’s life since retirement, but the anniversary of Lombard’s kidney transplant brought attention to the pair’s whereabouts in 2017, including the fact that they live together in Washington, D.C.[/note] where she served as the National President Emerita of PAW. She received a Solidarity Award in 2018 for her career in fighting for both worker and LGBT rights.[note]Terrance Heath, “Meet the Woman Who Quietly Made Sure Democrats Became LGBTQ Friendly,” LGBTQ Nation, September 19, 2018, https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2018/09/meet-woman-quietly-made-sure-democrats-became-lgbtq-friendly/.[/note]

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Color portrait of Yelena Bonner in glasses looking off to the right
Speech:

Speech Before the Congress of the United States

Speaker:

Yelena Bonner

1981 - 2000 / Human Rights

Elena Giorgiovna Bonner, also referred to as Yelena, was a human rights activist. Although journalists often referred to her as the wife of the renowned scientist and Soviet dissident, Andrei Sakharov, Bonner’s commitment to activism did not begin with their marriage. From her service in World War II until her death in 2011, Bonner was a tireless advocate for human rights.[note]Alessandra Stanley and Michael Schwirtz, “Elena Bonner, Widow of Sakharov, Dies at 88,” New York Times, June 19, 2011, U.S. News & World Report, February 24, 1986, Nexis Uni; “Yelena Bonner,” The Telegraph, June 19, 2011, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/.[/note] Later in her life, Bonner would suggest that her father’s commitment to the Communist Party and his death motivated her lifelong activism.[note]“Personality Spotlight; Yelena Bonner: Human Rights Activist,” United Press International, October 29, 1985, Nexis Uni.[/note]

During World War II, she joined the Soviet army as a nurse to fight against Nazi Germany. She suffered serious injuries during her service, including a head injury that left her partially blind. Following the war, she attended medical school and worked as a district doctor and a pediatrician. She also served in the USSR’s Ministry of Health in Iraq.[note] Yelena Bonner, Alone Together (New York: A.A Knopf, 1986), 33-34.[/note] In the late 1960s, Bonner began writing for The Chronicle of Current Events, a publication that reported on rights violations committed by the Soviet government.[note]“Personality Spotlight; Yelena Bonner: Human Rights Activist,” United Press International, December 23, 1986, Nexis Uni.[/note] Despite her conflicted opinion on the Communist Party, Bonner officially joined the party in 1965.[note]Bonner, Alone Together, 35.[/note] Her membership would not last, however. In 1972, the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia, and in protest, Bonner left the party.[note]“Yelena Bonner,” The Telegraph; Bonner, Alone Together, 35.[/note]

That same year she married Sakharov. They met in 1970 outside a courthouse in Leningrad while protesting the trial of Jewish dissidents.[note]Gal Beckerman, “Remembering Yelena Bonner—Natan Sharansky Reminisces About His Ally and Friend,” The Jewish Daily Forward, June 22, 2011, https://www.webcitation.org/5zggFEyD8.[/note] Sakharov was also an outspoken critic of the Soviet government despite having helped design a hydrogen bomb for the Soviets in the 1940s. He began to question the ethical implications of nuclear weapons and other political actions in the 1960s and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975 for his efforts on behalf of human rights. The Soviet government prohibited Bonner from traveling to the award ceremony, but he traveled to Oslo and read his acceptance speech to the Nobel committee.

Both Sakharov and Bonner were subsequently persecuted in the decade following Sakharov’s receipt of the Nobel Peace prize. Even though the couple was under increased scrutiny, Bonner helped found the Moscow Helsinki Group in 1976, an organization that monitored the Soviet Union’s compliance with the Helsinki Accords.[note]“Yelena Bonner,” The Telegraph.[/note] In 1980, Sakharov publicly denounced the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan, and in response, the government banished him to Gorky, a city approximately 400 kilometers east of Moscow that foreigners were prohibited from visiting. Following Sakharov’s exile, Bonner served as his conduit to the outside world until she too was banished in 1984. Her crime was allegedly seeking asylum in the United States, which the Soviet government considered treason.[note]“Personality Spotlight; Yelena Bonner: Human Rights Activist,” United Press International, December 23, 1986, Nexis Uni.[/note] While in Gorky, both Sakharov and Bonner experienced deteriorating health conditions.

Starting in 1984, Sakharov undertook three hunger strikes to pressure the government to allow Bonner to travel to the United States for medical treatment.[note]Alison Smale, “Yelena Bonner Leaving For Gorky Tonight,” Associated Press, June 3, 1986, Nexis Uni.[/note] She was eventually allowed to make the trip in December of 1985, and before she left the United States, she delivered this speech before members of the U.S. Congress on May 21, 1986—Sakharov’s 65th birthday.

As Bonner spoke, international leaders around the world honored Sakharov’s birthday with appeals to Mikhail Gorbachev to end the couple’s internal exile in Gorky.[note]“West Europeans Mark Sakharov's Birthday,” New York Times, May 22, 1986, A8, ProQuest Historical Newspapers.[/note] While in the United States, she also requested a meeting with President Ronald Reagan to address rights violations in the Soviet Union. Yet, several publications in the United States reported that Ronald Reagan refused to meet with Bonner in person.[note]“Reagan Cool to Talk With Yelena Bonner,” New York Times, April 24, 1986, Nexis Uni.[/note] Instead, he sent a letter. When a journalist asked her if a meeting with Reagan would help, Bonner responded, “Of course. You can’t be for human rights and be secretive.”[note]Mary McGrory, “Bonner’s Habit of Free Speech,” Washington Post, May 22, 1986, A2.[/note] Following Bonner’s speech, Senator Malcolm Wallop (R-WY) remarked, “I just came from the celebration in the House of Representatives honoring the 65th birthday of Dr. Sakharov. I heard a speech by his wife, Dr. Bonner, which I think may well risk her life.”[note]Senator Malcolm Wallop, "Speech on Dr. Sakharov and Dr. Bonner," May 21, 1986, 99th Cong., 2nd sess., Congressional Record, 132, no. 69:S6281, https://congressional.proquest.com/congressional/docview/ t17.d18.9eaa1550edc1e003?accountid=14696[/note]

Even though a meeting with Reagan never happened, Gorbachev lifted the exile for Bonner and Sakharov in December of 1986.[note]“Gorbachev’s New Broom Keeps on Sweeping / The Release of Soviet Dissidents Andre Sakharov and Yelena Bonner,” The Guardian, December 20, 1986.[/note] Following Sakharov’s death in December of 1989, Bonner continued to work on behalf of human rights. When Gorbachev was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1990, she wrote a letter to the committee asking for Sakharov’s name to be deleted from the list of winners. She was angered because she believed that Gorbachev was responsible for bloodshed in multiple cities and states across the Soviet Union, including Karabakh, Tbilisi, Baku, Ferghana, Uzen, and Osh.[note]“Yelena Bonner's Letter to the Head of the Nobel Committee,” Russian Press Digest, January 15, 1991, Nexis Uni.[/note] The Nobel committee declined to remove Sakharov’s name.[note]Stanley and Schwirtz, “Elena Bonner, Widow of Sakharov, Dies at 88”; “Yelena Bonner’s Letter to the Head of the Nobel Committee,” Russian Press Digest, January 15, 1991, Nexis Uni.[/note] Starting in the late 1990s, Bonner brought international attention to Russia’s invasion of Chechnya.[note]“Yelena Bonner seeks Boutros-Ghali mediation on Chechnya,” Agence France Presse, March 27, 1996, Nexis Uni; “Yelena Bonner demands peace talks in Chechnya,” Agence France Presse, September 27, 2001, Nexis Uni.[/note] And, until her death in 2011, she was an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin, warning that “excessive trust in Putin may be dangerous for democratic countries.”[note]“Yelena Bonner Awarded With Masaryk Order,” CTK National News Wire, October 1, 2003, Nexis Uni.[/note] For her life’s work, she received international recognition, including the Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom, which is awarded to individuals who “have demonstrated a lifelong commitment to freedom and democracy and opposition to communism and all other forms of tyranny.”[note]“Yelena Bonner to be Decorated with Estonia’s Terra Mariana Cross,” Baltic News Service, February 6, 2008, Nexis Uni; “Yelena Bonner Awarded With Masaryk Order,” CTK National News Wire; Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, “Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom,” https://www.victimsofcommunism.org/medaloffreedom.[/note]

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