Senate authorizes Holodomor memorial (10/08/06)

Senate authorizes Holodomor memorial

by Serhiy Zhykharev
Ukrainian National Information Service

WASHINGTON - On Friday, September 29, the U.S. Senate passed by unanimous consent HR 562, a resolution authorizing the government of Ukraine to construct a monument in Washington to the victims of the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide of 1932-1933. Led by the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) and its Washington, office, the Ukrainian National Information Service (UNIS), the Ukrainian American community promoted this issue in the U.S. Congress for several years.

A long-time champion of the Ukrainian American community, a strong supporter of Ukraine's democratic development and a co-chair of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus (CUC), Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.) introduced HR 562 in the House of Representatives on February 2, 2005.

UNIS closely monitored the progress of the bill and advocated its passage to other Members of Congress. Thirty-six members of the House sponsored the resolution. (A complete list of co-sponsors is available at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR00562:@@@P.)

On February 17, 2005, HR 562 was referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks of the House Resources Committee and on June 9, 2005, the subcommittee held a hearing, at which the UCCA testified in favor of this legislation along with Rep. Levin.

Rep. Levin's testimony found a lot of support among the subcommittee's members; many of whom felt that the magnitude, significance and "inhumane malice" of the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide should be memorialized.

UCCA President Michael Sawkiw Jr. stated at the hearing: "The sheer magnitude, scope and significance of this human calamity merits historians to surmise that food was, and can, be used as a political weapon. These lessons are as important today as in the future. This lesson alone should signify the importance of the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide Memorial."

On November 16, 2005, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), moved to put this legislation to a vote and the House of Representatives passed the bill by unanimous consent.

"Known by historians as the 'Harvest of Sorrow,' the Ukrainian Famine of 1932-1933 was the result of ... grain seizures in order to neutralize the Ukrainian population," stated Rep. Gohmert on the House floor.

"Over 7 million people died of starvation as Russians stopped Ukrainians from entering Russia to obtain food. Attempts by the United States to intercede were stalled by Stalin's regime," he continued. "Proponents of HR 562," concluded the committee chairman, "hope that building a memorial in the District of Columbia will bring awareness to the event and honor its victims."

The bill was then referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, which held a hearing on February 16. Chairing the hearing was Sen. Craig Thomas (R-Wyo.) and oral testimony was provided by John Parsons, associate regional director for lands, resources, and planning for the National Park Service (NPS). Written testimony was submitted to the subcommittee by Rep. Levin; Dr. Oleh Shamshur, ambassador of Ukraine to the United States; and, Mr. Sawkiw, on behalf of the UCCA.

Mr. Parsons commenced his verbal testimony by stating that HR 562 would "duplicate the efforts of the Victims of Communism Memorial," which is to be built in Washington. That monument will be a generalized memorial and will not specify the atrocities endured by various nations under the yoke of communism. When questioned by the chairman about how the other groups feel about the Victims of Communism Memorial Mr. Parsons said: "I don't think it represents what they [the Ukrainians] are trying to tell."

Other testimony provided to the subcommittee elaborated on the necessity to build such a monument to the victims of the Famine-Genocide of 1932-1933. Rep. Levin, sponsor of the bill, enumerated the enormous sacrifice the Ukrainian people made during the Ukrainian Genocide and noted that "this memorial will not only honor the victims of this horrible period of history, but also serve as a reminder to all of us that we must work together to prevent such tragedies in the future. This reminder is particularly poignant given the renewed commitment of Ukraine to freedom and democracy during last year's Orange Revolution."

Ambassador Shamshur highlighted the brutality of the 1932-1933 Ukrainian Genocide. Referring to the genocide with the Ukrainian word "Holodomor," Dr. Shamshur noted that "the unparalleled disaster in the history of my nation, [was] similar to the Holocaust in scale, cruelty and cynicism of its perpetrators." The ambassador stated that the "pain and bitter memory of the Holodomor are alive in practically every Ukrainian family; they make our hearts ache."

The UCCA president quoted the U.S. Commission on the Ukraine Famine, which concluded that "Joseph Stalin and those around him committed genocide against the Ukrainians in 1932-1933," adding that "the Ukrainian Genocide remains little-known to the world."

On April 20 the bill was placed on Senate Legislative Calendar and on September 29 it passed the Senate without amendment by unanimous consent. The bill was presented to President George W. Bush for his signature on October 2.

Commenting on the passage of HR 562 in the Senate, Ambassador Shamshur stated: "Immediately following the United States President's signing of the bill into law, the task at hand will be to find an appropriate plot of land in the capital, where the monument could be built. Simultaneously, the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States hopes to cooperate with the Ukrainian American community in order to find the best artistic solution for this monument."

| Home Page |