The Centre for Trans-National Mennonite Studies at the University of Winnipeg will present a lecture May 30th that details a little known piece of Mennonite history. Doctor Royden Loewen, Chair in Mennonite Studies at the university, says they are bringing in professor Colin Neufeldt from Edmonton. Loewen says Neufeldt is well known for his research into a period in Russia when wealthy Mennonite farmers were forced to give up their farms and were often sent to Siberia, a process known as collectivization. But this time, he says Neufeldt will focus on the less familiar story of poor Mennonite farmers who collectivized voluntarily, which sheds a different light on the image of Mennonites.

"Life is complicated and never quite as neat as we see it from a birds eye view. If you get down into the ground, then you do find Mennonites sometimes cooperating with the Bolsheviks, not because they liked the Bolsheviks, but in a sense, to get ahead of the curve, trying to win favour with potential oppressors."

He adds this shows the Mennonites were no different than other people, and did whatever it took to stay safe.

"We are blood and flesh human beings, we want to survive, and sometimes we do interesting things in order to obtain that survival."

Loewen says this story of the Mennonites fleeing persecution has a lot in common with the current flight of people around the world from oppressive regimes.

"We hear stories of refugees in war-torn countries around the world today, people fleeing for their lives. This is also a story that Mennonites have shared in the past. Right after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, tens of thousands of Mennonites found themselves out of favour with the authorities. And like refugees around the world, many of them began trying desperately to get out harm's way."

The lecture will take place Thursday, May 30th at 7:00 p.m. at the University of Winnipeg. Loewen adds Dr. Aileen Friesen, will also be at the event to present new information from KGB archives regarding what happened to many Mennonites during this difficult period in their history.