New history chronicles first 100 years of the Ukrainian National Association (08/10/97)

New history chronicles first 100 years of the Ukrainian National Association

by Roma Hadzewycz

JERSEY CITY, N.J. - "In order for us to know where we're going, we have to realize where we have been." That, says Dr. Myron B. Kuropas, is the guiding principle behind the newly published history of the Ukrainian National Association written to mark the organization's centennial.

"Ukrainian American Citadel: The First 100 Years of the Ukrainian National Association," released by East European Monographs of Boulder, Colo., is the work of Dr. Kuropas, an honorary member of the UNA General Assembly and a researcher of immigration history.

In its 13 chapters, the book chronicles the founding of the UNA in 1894; its transformation from the Ruskyi Narodnyi Soyuz to the Ukrainian National Association; its leading role in maintaining, indeed establishing, a Ukrainian identity in America; its growth from 439 members in the first year of its existence to a membership of nearly 90,000 in the 1970s; its activism in the American political milieu, particularly through its UNA Washington Office (1988-1995); and its current role within the Ukrainian American community.

It also provides insight into the UNA's publications, the Ukrainian-language daily newspaper Svoboda founded in 1893 - which actually gave birth to the UNA - and The Ukrainian Weekly, published since 1933.

This "social history" as Dr. Kuropas describes it, provides information about the UNA's multi-faceted fraternal activity, which benefits Ukrainians in the United States and Canada, and beyond: from the founding of reading rooms and heritage schools; to the purchase of an upstate New York estate, Soyuzivka, that is not only a vacation spot but a veritable cultural establishment; and up to current programs such as Teachers for English in Ukraine and the work of the Kyiv Press Bureau.

Drawing heavily on news reports from the UNA's newspapers, Dr. Kuropas explains in his preface: "...this history is filled with long quotations from the UNA press. I avoided too much paraphrasing because I believe history should reflect the thinking of the people who made it. Their stories are best told in their own words, in their letters, their commentaries and their reactions to events."

Much attention is paid to Ukrainian community developments outside of the UNA. As the author states, "From its founding in 1894 to its centennial in 1994, the UNA and the Ukrainian community have been one. They are still inseparable. What happens to the Ukrainian American community happens to the UNA, and what is good for the UNA has generally been good for the community."

Information on community developments provides meaningful context via which readers can understand the UNA's function and vital role. Still more context is provided by the author at the beginning of each chapter as he sets the stage with an overview of historic events of the period. "After all, the UNA did not develop in a vacuum," Dr. Kuropas told The Weekly in a telephone interview, "and it was reacting to developments in America and elsewhere."

Each chapter ends with the pre-convention recommendations of UNA members, which were published in the UNA press, as well as highlights of developments at those conventions. At the conclusion of each chapter there also is a summation of the major themes addressed and developments reported - a good educational device and a feature that no doubt will be appreciated by readers.

The 658-page book, which was funded by the Ukrainian National Association, includes many interesting photos and illustrations, presented in three photo sections that provide a pictorial accompaniment to the history related by the author. It also contains an index, as well as an appendix that lists UNA executive officers, editors-in-chief of Svoboda and The Ukrainian Weekly, and UNA membership statistics. The cover features an imposing wraparound photo of delegates to the UNA's 19th Convention held in Washington in 1937.

Project began in 1990

Dr. Kuropas began work on his history of the UNA in 1990. The research took one year, the writing another two years, and then came the process of peer review, publisher's requests and production scheduling matters. The book was ready for publication in 1996, but was finally released in mid-1997.

In working on this project, Dr. Kuropas said, "I learned a lot more than I had ever known about the role of the UNA in the development and growth of the Ukrainian American community. The UNA truly is a citadel and remains as a beacon for all Ukrainians worldwide."

The author also underlined that "All of the goals of the Ukrainian National Association were met, including the long struggle for Ukraine's independence. It is my hope that this book will awaken Ukrainians in North America to the importance of continuing to support this exemplary institution."

Asked to describe his goals in working on the history of what he refers to as "the first 100 years of the UNA," Dr. Kuropas explained: "The UNA is the result of the efforts of thousands of Ukrainian Americans. It became what it is today through its members, branch secretaries and local involvement. It was my goal to include as much of the published input of local branches and district committees as would fit with the basic themes of the book."

Those themes are outlined in the book's preface as follows: ethno-national formation and maintenance, organizational formation, assistance to Ukraine, fraternal benefits, political action, efforts to defend the Ukrainian name, generational transfer, and inter-ethnic cooperation and dissonance.

An ethnic activist and researcher

"Ukrainian-American Citadel" was truly a labor of love for Dr. Kuropas, a UNA activist of long standing who followed in the footsteps of his father, Stephen (a former UNA supreme advisor and currently an honorary member of its General Assembly), and inculcated love of this oldest and largest Ukrainian fraternal organization in his own son, Stefko (a UNA advisor).

Dr. Kuropas is a former UNA supreme vice-president (he held that post for12 years) and a former supreme advisor (16 years) who is now an honorary member of the UNA General Assembly. He also brings academic credentials to his project . He holds a Ph.D. in education from the University of Chicago - his doctoral thesis covered the history of the Ukrainian immigration from 1884 to 1950 - and he is an adjunct professor in the department of leadership and educational policy studies at Northern Illinois University.

He is the author of "The Ukrainian Americans: Roots and Aspirations, 1884-1954," a history of Ukrainians in the United States and the story of how they defined and maintained their ethnic identity, published in 1991 by the University of Toronto Press. He also wrote "Ukrainians in America," a Lerner Publications book targeted for eighth graders that is now in its third edition.

Dr. Kuropas has a broad familiarity with American ethnic groups in general and served President Gerald R. Ford as special assistant for ethnic affairs, the first such position in the history of the United States.

Dr. Kuropas will be speaking about his new book at various UNA district committee gatherings this fall.

* * *

"Ukrainian-American Citadel" is available for $25 (plus $2.50 postage/handling) from: Ukrainian Educational Associates, 107 Ilehamwood Drive, DeKalb, IL 60115; or from the Svoboda Bookstore, 30 Montgomery St., Jersey City, NJ 07302.

| Home Page |