Each nation and country has faced a period in history when their will, unity, and determination to defend what’s most important to them were tested. Lithuania has experienced such pivotal moments more than once. One of them is January 13th, 1991, Day of Defenders of Freedom. On that day, the crowd of unarmed civilians with solely their bodies defended objects of national significance, like Parliament and TV Tower. 600 of them were injured, 14 died. It was an enormous responsibility and honor for us to find a modern way of marking this important date on a national scale.

We thought that the mournful black ribbon isn’t the only way to commemorate the battle for Lithuania’s freedom. We can choose to remember the victims with gratitude and grace, not only sadness. To show that their gift for future generations hasn’t been forgotten and that many remember them, we’ve come up with a new symbol of memory and respect – the blue Forget Me Not bloom and the accompanying slogan I Remember Why We Are Free. Paper Forget Me Not badges were distributed to people at the Day of Defenders of Freedom events, they were also available online for anyone to print an wear them. People have also added the uniting flower symbol on their profile photos on social media. The new attractive form has added new quality and meaning to the memory. We’re glad that the tradition of wearing the Forget Me Not symbol and sharing the slogan on social media is alive to this day. More importantly, with such a small creative action, we’ve contributed to the memory of historical events.