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 1990s
Two UNA dreams were fulfilled early in the 1990s. The first was Ukraine's
independence. After some 80 years of often Herculean effort and against
what often appeared to be hopeless odds, the UNA never faltered or hesitated
in its unceasing support for Ukraine's national aspirations. All of the
sacrifice, pain and calumny suffered by the UNA and its membership was rewarded
in December 1991, when over 90 percent of the people of Ukraine voted for
independence. [A UNA press bureau was established in Kyyiv in January 1991
and The Weekly was there to cover the historic event; also at the 1990 convention
in Baltimore, the UNA established a Fund for the Rebirth of Ukraine; to
date over $420,000 have been collected.]
A second victory occurred in August, 1993 when the Israeli Supreme Court
ruled that John Demjanjuk was not "Ivan the Terrible" of Treblinka.
These were moments to be savored as the UNA prepared to celebrate the
centennial of its birth.
Illustrations Published:
- 1990: At the time of their participation in the second congress of
Rukh, the Popular Movement of Ukraine, UNA officers met with officials
at Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the opening of a UNA
Press Bureau based in Kyyiv. Seen from left are: Supreme Advisor Eugene
Iwanciw (also director of the UNA Washington Office), Supreme President
Ulana Diachuk, Volodymyr Chorny of the ministry's press and information
department, Supreme Secretary Walter Sochan and Valeriy Ingulsky of the
Foreign Ministry. Missing from the photo is Supreme Advisor Roma Hadzewycz
(also editor-in-chief of The Ukrainian Weekly), who was part of the UNA
delegation and snapped this photo.
- 1991: Employees of the Ukrainian National Association and the Svoboda
Press gather outside the UNA Plaza to raise the Ukrainian flag on Monday,
December 2, 1991, a day after the people of Ukraine voted in a nationwide
referendum to approve - by more then 90 percent - their Parliament's declaration
of Ukraine's independence.
- 1993: On September 15, 1993, Svoboda, the Ukrainian-language newspaper
that gave birth to the Ukrainian National Association, marked the 100th
anniversary of its founding. Above, a reproduction of the front page of
Svoboda's special centennial issue.
- 1991: Svoboda editorial staff members gather around Ivan Kedryn Rudnytsky
(seated), editor emeritus, on the occasion of his 95th birthday. Seen from
left are: Veselka Editor Wolodymyr Barahura, Chrystyna Ferencevych, Olha
Kuzmowycz, Lubov Kolensky, Wolodymyr Lewenetz, Raisa Rudenko, Editor-in-Chief
Zenon Snylyk and Halyna Kolessa.
- 1993: With its highly successful Teaching English in Ukraine Program
in full swing, the Ukrainian National Association sponsored a Kyyiv Summer
Institute geared specifically to teachers of English in Ukraine. The photo
above was taken at a pot luck dinner hosted by the U.S. instructors for
their Ukrainian colleagues. Both the Teaching English in Ukraine Program
and the Summer Institute are directed by Dr. Zirka Voronka.
Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, February
20, 1994, No. 8, Vol. LXII
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