THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FORUM (11/26/06)

THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FORUM

The Ukrainian Weekly editor-in-chief addresses audience in Warren

by Alexander Serafyn

WARREN, Mich. - "The Ukrainian Press in America: Do We Need It?" was the topic addressed by the editor-in-chief of The Ukrainian Weekly, Roma Hadzewycz, during a speech here on Sunday, October 29. The meeting was sponsored jointly by the local chapter of the Shevchenko Scientific Society and the Detroit District Committee of the Ukrainian National Association.

The meeting was opened by Dr. Paul Dzul, president of the local chapter of the Shevchenko Scientific Society.

Ms. Hadzewycz was welcomed by a former colleague from the Svoboda editorial board, Wolodymyr Lewenetz, on behalf of the Ukrainian Cultural Center, where her presentation took place, as well as by him personally, speaking for his family.

Mr. Lewenetz said that Ms. Hadzewycz and The Ukrainian Weekly under her stewardship defend the high moral and ethical values without which neither political unity nor national identity are possible, let alone the creation of healthy political structure of a nation.

Mr. Lewenetz continued. "The subject of Ms Hadzewycz's presentation is, without a doubt, very timely. Mass media are powerful tools of every nation. Let's use them to help solve many problems in our community and in Ukraine that need our urgent attention."

Ms. Hadzewycz was then introduced by Dr. Alexander Serafyn, president of the UNA's Detroit District Committee, who underscored the speaker's UNA connections, journalistic qualifications and community involvement.

Ms. Hadzewycz began her presentation with a capsule history of The Ukrainian Weekly, the first issue of which was published in 1933, by noting that during its 73 years of service it has covered myriad developments within the Ukrainian community in the United States and Canada, U.S., Canadian and other international developments that affect Ukraine and Ukrainians, and the major news from Ukraine.

She praised the visionaries of the Ukrainian National Association who brought the paper into existence, and noted that The Weekly was born with a dual mission: to tell the world the truth about the Great Famine then raging in Ukraine and to keep a new generation of Ukrainian Americans involved in the Ukrainian community.

She underscored that The Weekly "was a pioneer in propagating the idea that one did not have to speak, read and write Ukrainian to be Ukrainian, that what mattered most was what was in one's heart and mind."

In its premiere issue, as well as in the future ones, the paper informed the world about the genocidal Famine, about purges of the Ukrainian intelligentsia, the Chornobyl tragedy, the demise of the Soviet Union and the proclamation of Ukraine's independence. Throughout its history The Ukrainian Weekly informed the world about all that was happening in Ukraine. "It was the voice of Ukraine at a time when Ukraine could not speak for itself," Ms. Hadzewycz stated.

The Weekly also defended Ukrainian displaced persons and refugees, it reported on the persecution of Ukrainian human and national rights activists; it was a crusader, like its sister-publication, Svoboda, for the erection of the Taras Shevchenko Monument in Washington and the establishment of chairs of Ukrainian studies at Harvard University.

In 1983, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Famine, The Ukrainian Weekly published a book titled "The Great Famine in Ukraine: The Unknown Holocaust" and a special edition of the newspaper. The Weekly was in the forefront of the campaign that led to the establishment of the U.S. Commission on the Ukraine Famine, Ms. Hadzewycz related.

To maintain close contact with Ukraine and to report the latest news first-hand, the Kyiv Press Bureau was opened in 1991 - more than seven months before the proclamation of Ukraine's independence. In the almost 16 years since the bureau was opened, its correspondents have reported on unprecedented events in Ukraine, Ms. Hadzewycz pointed out.

The paper is read by the members of Congress and other policy-makers in Washington and elsewhere, the speaker continued. It is an important source of reliable information for these and other readers, including researchers and the news media. Also noteworthy is The Ukrainian Weekly's website, which includes a wealth of archival material.

During its entire existence the paper promoted and defended countless Ukrainian causes, Ms. Hadzewycz said. Therefore, history proves that, yes, our community does need the Ukrainian press.

Ms. Hadzewycz's presentation was received very enthusiastically by the audience, which then posed questions and offered comments on the day's topic.

Dr. Jaroslaw Sawka reminded the speaker that The Weekly also was key in calling for the revocation of Walter Duranty's Pulitzer Prize, in reporting on the John Demjanjuk case, and in fighting for a retraction of the slanderous CBS "60 Minutes" report about Ukraine titled "The Ugly Face of Freedom."

Closing the meeting, Dr. Dzul thanked the participants for attending and invited all to continue the dialogue over coffee and sweets.

| Home Page |