This year, Bay Area Estonians celebrated the 106th anniversary of Estonian independence on Wednesday, February 21.
The day began with a flag-raising ceremony at San Francisco City Hall, organized by the Consulate General of Estonia in San Francisco and Consul General Maria Belovas and hosted by the Chief of Protocol of the City of San Francisco Maryam Muduroglu, and attended by local Estonian community members and business people. It was inspiring to see the Estonian flag proudly raised for all local city residents to see, and for Consul General Belovas to accept a proclamation from Mayor London Breed declaring Saturday, February 24 to be Estonian-American Friendship and Heritage Day in San Francisco. We were also honored by the presence of Consul General Dmytro Kushneruk of Ukraine, acknowledging the reality of the two-year anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
That evening, the Consulate General organized a festive reception at Stanford University, cohosted by the San Francisco Estonian Society and korp!Vironia, with special thanks to Stanford University Libraries. The evening began with a special performance from worldclass jazz and classical pianist Kristjan Randalu, who treated guests to a program of pieces inspired by Estonian folk melodies as well as some of his own compositions and arrangements.
The concert was followed by a festive reception, whose program reflected the strength of the Estonian presence in the Bay Area and its connections to the broader community. Speakers included Consul Belovas, an adept host who kept the mood high with her good humor. Mai-Liis Bartling, the San Francisco Estonian Society president and also the recently elected president of the Estonian American National Council, called on the audience to remember the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine and take part in local activities in support of the Ukrainian community. She also announced an upcoming EANC fundraising effort for a monument in Pärnu that will commemorate the mass flight of refugees from Estonia (suurpõgenemine) in 1944, which has its 80th anniversary in September of this year. The Estonian Society also presented founding member and longtime supporter, Rutt Sootaru, with its Eestluse Hoidja award, for her lifelong efforts in support of Estonia and Estonians. Sean Paavo Krepp represented korp! Vironia and the strength of the fraternity in California, and its deep history in Estonia.
Consul General Belovas presented Liisi Esse of Stanford University Libraries with the recognition of citizen diplomat awarded to her last fall by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The award recognizes her longtime work in revitalizing educational and research cooperation between the West Coast and Estonia, introducing Estonian history and culture, and increasing the visibility of Estonia.
Michael Keller of Stanford University Libraries spoke of his connection to the laulupidu tradition as an American and the value of the festival in introducing Estonia to people abroad. He also recognized Sylvia Thompson of the Kistler-Risto Foundation, which provides invaluable support to the Baltic Studies program at Stanford and to Vabamu Museum in Tallinn. Sylvia Thompson was in the audience. The evening was rounded out by short remarks from Mark Chandler of the City of San Francisco and Evan Reade from the office of California Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis, who recognized the long history of the Estonian community in California and the development of ties accomplished in recent years by the team from the consulate.
The room was filled with guests from several communities – local Estonians, Stanford affiliates, the consular community, the business community, and American friends, who enjoyed Estonianinspired appetizers and vastlakuklid for dessert. The Estonian Society would especially like to thank representatives of our frequent local partner organizations, the Northern California Latvian Association and the San Francisco Lithuanian American Community, for attending and sharing congratulations from their groups. Baltic community cooperation in the Bay Area is a highlight for us, and we are so grateful for their support.
Consul General Belovas acknowledged in her remarks the upcoming closure of the consulate in San Francisco in the summer, but emphasized that the evening was a time to celebrate the ties that have developed and think about how to carry forward both the work and the relationships in new ways, a challenge that those of us dedicated to working for Estonia will have to embrace. The Estonian Society extends our thanks to the consulate team, including Juuli Hiio and Aveli Täht, and to Liisi Esse of Stanford University Libraries, for such a warm and generous event, to Estonian Society board member Anne-Marie Riitsaar for her work on the concert, and to everyone who attended.
Elagu Eesti!
Linnea Bartling
San Francisco Estonian Society
