VOC Museum Opens New Exhibit on Operation Pedro Pan

On Wednesday, June 25, the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation launched a new temporary gallery on Operation Pedro Pan, the United States’ mission to save over 14,000 Cuban children from communism between 1960 and 1962.

Following opening remarks from Ambassador Carlos Trujillo, VOC Trustee and former Ambassador to the Organization of American States, as well as Dr. Eric Patterson, VOC’s President and CEO, museum guests were invited to join a discussion on Operation Pedro Pan with leading scholars Professor Carlos Erie, the T. Lawrason Riggs Professor of History and Religious Studies at Yale University and a Pedro Pan child, and Professor Victor Andres Triay, from Middlesex Community College. 

Carmen Valdivia, curator of the exhibition, outlined her experience as a Pedro Pan and explored the themes of the gallery, while Pedro Pan Maximo Alvarez, who helped make the gallery possible with his generous support, detailed the importance of the ongoing legacy of the Pedro Pan family. The courageous actions of Monsignor Bryan O. Walsh, the Catholic priest who orchestrated the movement that saved a generation of Cuban children, were praised by both Valdivia and Alvarez. 

After guests explored the gallery, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, co-chair of the Victims of Communism Caucus, spoke about the transformative impact of this moment in history on her congressional district and America, as well as the fight against communism. 

VOC was honored to be joined by nearly 30 Pedro Pans for the opening night of the exhibition. 

Want to visit the gallery? The Victims of Communism Museum is open Tuesday–Saturday from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Admission is free.