Roman Sheremeta, a professor of economics at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, is one of many Ukraine-born citizens who remember what life was like when the country was under Soviet Union rule and how it changed after Ukraine signed its Declaration of Independence.
, Sheremeta remembers his mother, his grandfather and a number of his Ukrainian-Canadian relatives traveled to Kyiv – Ukraine’s capital city – and proudly carried a"huge Ukrainian flag."
"I remember us throwing away those stars because it was so symbolic that we finally don't have to be told what to do"Other standout memories Sheremeta has from that day include Ukrainians throwing out their red Soviet Pioneer neckties and star-shaped pins that featured the face of Soviet Union Premier Vladimir Lenin, which were required uniform accessories for schoolchildren at the time.
Roman Sheremeta tells Fox News Digital was 9-years-old when Ukraine got its independence on Aug. 24, 1991. "In most democracies and with people around the world, they fight for their democracy, and there’s a lot of bloodshed," Sheremeta said."Ukraine in 1991, didn't have that. We were handed that for free… I think to a certain extent, we did not know what to do with democracy because it was handed to us. And so because of that, we made a lot of mistakes as a country."
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