Lech Walesa adds humor to Lincoln Leadership Prize ceremony

Established in 2006, the Lincoln Leadership Prize recognizes outstanding leaders in fields of government, business, science, journalism and the creative arts. This year, the award winner was Lech Walesa - an electrician by trade and a charismatic leader who founded the Solidarity movement in 1980, a man who helped to fight communism, lead his country to a new era of freedom and, ultimately, became the first democratically elected leader in post-war Polish history. 

While collecting the Lincoln Leadership Prize Ceremony, former Polish President and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Lech Walesa spoke about serious global issues in a humor-filled way. The 350 guests attending the event were dying from laughter, even though Walesa was touching on important topics in American society, such as economy, military, morality and globalization.

"The award is given to people whose lives and actions exemplify Lincoln's legacy of leadership," said Carla Knorowski, president of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation.

Knorowski not only indicated the simple similarities between Walesa and Lincoln such as the "characteristic moustache" but also stressed out that both of them were crossing various borders to win and help the people.

She spoke of Walesa's journey from working in the massive Lenin shipyard at Gdansk, Poland to becoming President. She focused on his struggles, persistence and determination to fight for democracy, just as Lincoln did.

As Lech Walesa got to the podium to receive the prestigious prize, he began his speech with a joke, that if he wanted to express all his feelings he would have to speak like Fidel Castro did – for four hours, at least. He stressed that he never imagined he would be compared to Lincoln and that it was a big surprise for him.

When speaking about globalization he said:

"I don't want you to feel too discouraged when facing this great challenge of reforming the world (…) in case you fail, because we are bound to fail in one way or another. The gentleman who failed with everything he was trying to accomplish, was actually awarded a Nobel Peace Prize." He related to his 18 months imprisonment, in the early 80s when the communist government reasserted its authority across the nation and after Walesa's release in the fall of 1983, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his struggle to win workers' rights in Poland.

Lech Walesa also expressed his opinions on the American military, economy and morality and pointed out how the United States affects the wealth of the rest of the world.

"After this great struggle of ours you remained the only superpower in the world. You are the military leader to the world, you have been the economic leader but are getting weaker and weaker, but you certainly are not the moral and political leader to the world," Walesa said.

Walesa said that the today's world lacks leadership and requires different institutions and structures, but that only the superpowers can propose solutions to the world.  He humorously added, "You know there is always a way out, if you are unwilling to continue with the leadership position, give it to Poland, we will know what to do with it!"

Lech Walesa received the prize at a benefit dinner on Feb. 9 at Chicago's Four Season Hotel. Previous recipients of the Lincoln Leadership Prize include Desmond Tutu, Sandra Day O'Connor, James Lovell and journalist Tom Russert.