On Saturday, set against the backdrop of New York’s skyscrapers, Brooklyn’s McCarren Park saw around 200 members of the Lithuanian community gather for the annual Freedom Run. Held on September 13, the event commemorated those who lost their lives fighting for Lithuanian freedom on January 13, 1991 – almost 35 years ago, and marked the start of the community’s autumn season.
“Usually, we don’t have many opportunities to spend time with fellow Lithuanians in New York,” said participant Dovas Žakas. “This run is the one annual event when everyone, no matter what they’re doing, comes to McCarren Park to spend time together and run for Lithuania.”
“People enjoy being outdoors and catching up with friends after summer,” added Gintarė Bukauskas, co-chair of the Lithuanian Community in New York. “New York is such an individualised city that people wouldn’t normally gather for an event, except perhaps to commemorate freedom.”
Originally held in winter at Manhattan’s Central Park, the Freedom Run was moved a few years ago to the autumn and is now hosted at McCarren Park, located within a Lithuanian parish. This change makes it easier to bring together Lithuanians scattered across the city.
Now one of the largest and most important events for New York’s Lithuanian community, the run annually gathers more than ten local organisations, which use the occasion to introduce their activities and plans.
Sheltering from the sun under an oak tree, participants were invited to join the Neringa and Tauras Scout Club, attend the premiere of the New York Lithuanian theatre comedy Three Loved Ones, share career experiences and inspirational stories at the Lithuanian Professionals Club, or sing traditional songs with the ethnographic music group Giedula at the headquarters of the Lithuanian Alliance Of America – the oldest active Lithuanian organisation in the world.
“It’s really wonderful to see so many Lithuanian organisations coming together in such a big city. In a city this size, you can only be heard when you speak together, when you work as a team. This annual event, where everyone comes – some to run, some to walk, some just to be together – is truly the highlight of New York’s autumn season,” said Consul General Dovydas Špokauskas.
Five for Lithuania
Inspired by the community activities, participants took to the running track in McCarren Park to complete the 5-kilometre route and join the global asynchronous Lithuanian run, Five for Lithuania, which has been held since 2013. This year, the initiative encourages Lithuanians worldwide to run in support of a free Lithuanian word, and participants are encouraged to record their results online.
One runner, Dovas Žakas, who has lived in New York for almost a decade, said the Freedom Run marked a turning point in his personal life.
“In 2022, I had put on a lot of weight, and this event really motivated me to get active again. I remember running with my friend Gediminas – he had to wait for me because I was moving so slowly. From that day, I decided to get back to exercising,” said Dovas Žakas, who has now been working out daily for almost a thousand days. “In my first year, I ran 5 km in about 35 minutes, and now I do it in 23. This event really encouraged me to live actively, exercise more, and spend more time with fellow Lithuanians,” he added.
Those who weren’t ready to run the full distance were invited to take part in the 'honour lap' for Lithuania. For the second year running, this lap was completed by Vida Jankauskienė, 88, who has lived in the US since childhood.
“Last year, my son signed me up. I said I’d just give him a laugh – my children didn’t think I’d actually do it. But I did!” Vida laughed. She is proud that all five of her children, who grew up in the US speak Lithuanian.
“But the grandchildren…” the Lithuanian woman sighed. “We have to represent Lithuania, tell stories, and come up with activities, especially for the children. We need to be clever so that they enjoy it here – not just once a year during the run, but also at the Lithuanian school, singing in Lithuanian, and learning about our country.”
Indeed, the event was full of children, beaming with smiles and proudly showing off the wooden medals they had earned for completing laps. Coinciding with the start of the school year at New York's Maironis Lithuanian School, the Freedom Run has become a major draw for young families.
New York's Maironis school
Celebrating its 76th year, the school marked the start of the academic year at the Church of the Annunciation, located just a short walk from McCarren Park. It is the only remaining active Lithuanian parish in the state out of the five that once operated in the most populated city of America.
“Children come from different generations. There are second-generation Lithuanians whose grandparents arrived as young children from Germany during the war. There are also children who have just arrived from Lithuania,” explained Monika Paulavičiūtė-Kungienė, head of New York's Maironis Lithuanian School. “But most were born here, to parents from Lithuania. So, their language skills vary – some are better, some are worse – but our goal at the New York school is to make sure all of them feel Lithuanian.”
She added that among roughly fifty students registered this year, some travel from nearby Connecticut or New Jersey to attend Saturday classes.
“Often, Lithuanian is considered the family language, used at home with parents,” Paulavičiūtė-Kungienė said. “When children come here and see others speaking Lithuanian, they realise it’s not just a home language – it’s a community. They grow up at this school, and it becomes like a second home for them.”
Jonas Urbonas, who lives with his family in New Jersey, worries that children born and raised in the US might not develop a strong connection to Lithuania or know its traditions. This year, his wife joined the school’s teaching staff.
“I think it’s very important for children to understand where we come from, where their parents come from, and to value Lithuania. Even growing up outside the country, knowing your roots is essential,” Urbonas said.
In addition to classes for 3 – 15-year-olds, Maironis School offers 'Gintarėliai' sessions for children under three with their parents, as well as adult classes, usually attended by spouses of Lithuanians or Americans of Lithuanian descent.
One such student is Kathleen Rogan, who also took part in the Freedom Run and is now in her second year of studying Lithuanian.
“I’m the granddaughter of Lithuanian immigrants. When my grandparents arrived, their environment wasn’t supportive of continuing the Lithuanian language, so my mother never learned it. I think that was a mistake, and now I want to correct it,” she said in English, mixing in Lithuanian words as she spoke. “I have many cousins in Lithuania and sometimes visit them, so I want to be able to speak to them in the native language.”
Rogan said that initially she felt a little hesitant to join Lithuanian organisations in New York, but once she experienced how welcoming the community is, she became fully involved.
“Last year I joined the choir and participated in the Cleveland Šventė [Song Festival – LRT], and this year I’ll join the dance group – and later go to Chicago,” she said.
From 10–12 July 2026, Chicago will host the 17th North American Lithuanian Folk Dance Festival, inviting Lithuanians from around the world to the largest Lithuanian gathering outside the country.
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