On November 7, Ukrainians from near and far are expected to be in Washington for the unveiling and blessing of the long-awaited memorial to the victims of the Holodomor, a genocide long concealed from the world. The message on the expressive “Field of Wheat” monument designed by Ukrainian American Larysa Kurylas will speak to countless passers-by: “Famine-Genocide in Ukraine. In memory of the millions of innocent victims of a man-made famine in Ukraine engineered and implemented by Stalin’s totalitarian regime.” We simply cannot stress enough the historic nature of the Holodomor Memorial’s unveiling – an event that calls for our mass participation.
Thirty-two years ago, when we marked the 50th anniversary of the Great Famine of 1932-1933, some 18,000 people from all parts of North America came to Washington on October 2, 1983, for a memorial rally and march. Among them were busloads from many cities where our community was active (a bus from Chicago took 17 hours to make the trip). Associated events during the week preceding the gathering included a press conference at which Dr. Robert Conquest (1917-2015), told the news media that the Famine was a deliberate genocide and referred to it as “the forgotten holocaust”; an exhibit of photos and documents at the Cannon House Office Building; a scholarly seminar at the American Enterprise Institute; and special orders in the House of Representatives. The memorial week began with a national day of fasting on Saturday, September 24, and a day of prayer the next day, with Ukrainian churches nationwide holding special services; it culminated with a memorial concert presented on the day of the rally and march.
The revered Metropolitan (later Patriarch) Mstyslav (1898-1993) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, addressing the huge gathering at the Washington Monument, stated: “Divine Providence has gathered us so that we might testify before the entire world concerning the entire Ukrainian nation, its difficult life and the experience of its thousand-year struggle for the truth of Christ on earth, for the right of people and nations to live with God and for Him, to live the life of an independent and free nation.”
Back in 1983 our editorial underscored: “…the dedicated individuals who ventured to Washington did so because they realized that, on the 50th anniversary of the Famine, there was nothing more immediate, nothing more pressing or morally compelling than to honor the 7 million victims of this atrocity by telling the world about our national holocaust. They realized that only by doing so will the victims not have died in vain.”
But we also reminded readers that our job was far from done. “The 50th anniversary was an important milestone, but the wantonness of the crime is eternal. We should continue striving to ensure that it becomes fixed in the consciences of our fellow Americans and the future generations that will make up our community.”
Now, more than 30 years after those momentous events in Washington, and more than 80 years after the Holodomor decimated the Ukrainian nation, it is our duty to continue to bear witness to that genocide. The new Holodomor Memorial will help us do just that. And that’s why we must be a part of the November ceremonies in Washington.