THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL ASSOCIATION'S FIRST CENTURY
The history of the Ukrainian National Association is documented in a new book by Dr. Myron Kuropas, "Ukrainian Citadel: The First Hundred Years of The Ukrainian National Association," to be published by The University of Toronto Press. In this special 12-page pullout section of The Weekly, prepared on the occasion of our publisher's centennial, we offer excerpts from Dr. Kuropas' pre-publication manuscript, reprinted with permission from the author. (Please note that the Ukrainian National Association (UNA) was known as the Ruskyi Narodnyi Soyuz (RNS) for the first 20 years of its existence.)
The 1950s
Known as the "golden decade" of the Ukrainian National Association, the 1950s were an era of hope and renewal. Between 1950 and 1960, the membership of the UNA increased by some 20,000, while total assets more than doubled.
In the war for recognition of Ukrainian national aspirations, the UNA began to win a few battles during the 1950s. Under Presidents Truman and Eisenhower, Ukrainian aspirations were not ignored and the notion of liberation of the "captive nations" began to take hold among some Americans. Believing that the time was ripe to take the offensive against Soviet disinformation, the UNA funded a number of English-language books by Prof. Clarence Manning of Columbia University, who presented the Ukrainian perspective to American readers. ...
Encouraged by Svoboda and The Ukrainian Weekly, "Ukrainian Independence Days" became more and more common at American city halls and state capitols. Congressional passage of the Captive Nations Resolution in 1959, proclaiming the annual observance of Captive Nations Week, represented the pinnacle of Ukrainian political activity during the 1950s.
It was during the 1950s that the UNA was able to concentrate much of its attention on the younger generation. A resort was purchased in the Catskill Mountains of New York state; cultural courses for teenagers were instituted in cooperation with the Ukrainian Youth League of North America. A children's camp was started at the resort for 6- to 12-year-olds. The children's magazine Veselka was born; The Ukrainian Weekly developed a solid stable of regular columnists and became more independent of Svoboda; and after years of cajoling and pleading, UNA branches began to elect younger delegates to the convention to carry on the traditions of the past. Ukrainian American youth remained high on the UNA agenda throughout the decade...
There was also the factor of an unusually talented Supreme Assembly which not only produced excellent think pieces for the UNA Trybuna, but also helped organize new members. Although most were Ukrainian-born, many had come here as young men and women and were sensitive to the needs of the younger generation. They supported youth initiatives and pushed for greater professionalization within UNA ranks. Full-time UNA organizers for the United States and Canada were subsequently hired to assist local secretaries in their search for new members.
Not everything, however, was rosy. The culture clash between old immigrants and their offspring and the new immigrants and their offspring that surfaced during the early 1950s never really healed. Animosities lingered well into the 1970s, affecting UNA growth.
Another blemish was the growing belligerence between UNA members of the OUN(B) persuasion and those of the OUN(M) camp. Their combative attitude only increased in the years that followed leading, in time to a serious split within UNA ranks. During the 1950s, however, the OUN wars were a positive development. Both the OUN(B) and OUN(M) worked diligently to enroll new members so that their partieular faction could control more branches and elect more Supreme Assembly members. ...
Illustrations Published:
Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, February 20, 1994, No. 8, Vol. LXII
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