Please join us on November 11, Veterans Day, at the historic Cortelyou Commons for a special event: “The Cakrani Family of Albania: Repairing the Fabric of History”. We will talk about repairing the fabric of history, the Albanian paradox of kindness in WWII, and the real people who inspired Albanians to save the European Jews during the darkest hours of European history. We will discuss a general theory against oblivion. It will be an enlightening discussion with the participation of distinguished personalities and speakers, from the Illinois Holocaust Museum, DePaul University, historians, and members of the Cakrani family. Featuring remarks by the Albanian Ambassador to the US Honorable Ervin Bushati. 

We will celebrate the history of a family who played a protagonist role in modern Albanian history and of a remarkable Albanian American personality, Kadri Cakrani (a political refugee in the US after WWII), an Albanian military commander, who during the German occupation of Albanian in WWII saved hundreds of European Jewish refugees, rescued three American army nurses whose plane crashed in Albania, and protected ancient religious texts from Nazi looting. 

The Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker and the Mayor of Chicago Brandon Johnson recognizing the importance of the event for the Albanian American community and the city of Chicago publicly endorsed the event declaring 11/11, 2023 to be "Kadri Cakrani Day" in Illinois and the city Chicago. 

This is an RSVP event with a limited number of seats. If you plan to attend, please RSVP at DePaulAlbania@gmail.com

 The DePaul Albanian Studies wants to stimulate creative discussions about Albanian history and culture and bring forward personal and collective stories of the Albanian American community which have been silenced and marginalized for decades. Turning unspoken history into spoken is one of our noblest missions.