It’s probably by pure chance that, just as our Ukrainian American community’s activities get under way after the traditional summer hiatus, a major conference in New York City will examine the history and continuing activity of our community.
The Ukrainian Historical Encounters Series is presenting a special event dubbed “Celebrating the 125th Anniversary of the Organized Ukrainian American Community” at the prestigious Princeton Club of New York on September 21 (two days after these words are being written). Its sponsors are the Center for U.S.-Ukrainian Relations (CUSUR), the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) and the Ukrainian National Association (UNA), which this year is celebrating the 125th anniversary of its establishment.
It may be happenstance that these community-related happenings coincide, but it is also quite serendipitous. The program coordinated by Prof. Walter Zaryckyj (CUSUR) and Tamara Olexy (UCCA) is designed to take a close look at the key segments of our community life: our national organizations, religious life, cultural institutions, youth organizations and schools of Ukrainian studies, academia, and financial institutions and charitable foundations. In short – the entities that make our community what it is today, the institutions that continue to play significant roles in that community’s direction.
The conference is to lead off with a panel discussion on what it calls the “foundation stones of the Ukrainian American community” – the UNA (our publisher), the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America (UNWLA) and the UCCA – led by a representative of yet another foundational, indeed fundamental, institution: the Ukrainian press, or more precisely Svoboda. It was Svoboda, which was founded 126 years ago and whose first issue rolled off the presses on September 15, 1893, that gave birth to the UNA, which in turn gave birth to this newspaper, The Ukrainian Weekly.
Meanwhile, back in our local communities, September is the time when all our usual Ukrainian activities resume their regular schedules: Ukrainian studies classes, music and dance lessons, scout meetings, scholarly presentations and lectures, film screenings, sports training, the meetings of so many organizations and committees that are responsible for countless events that enrich our lives. And, yes, there are some local Ukrainian festivals that stretch beyond the summer into early fall. (Sometimes we wonder whether our calendars can possibly fit all these events and activities, and we complain that there just aren’t enough days for us to be able to participate fully!)
This multitude of activities does not simply happen on its own. It is important to remember that we have dedicated community activists – volunteers – to thank for this abundance of significant offerings that benefit various segments of our large community. Are you, dear readers, among those essential volunteers?
Nor should we forget that we have strong institutions in our midst that financially support these activities. Their monetary contributions, as well as donations in kind, play no small part in ensuring that these experiences and events, so rich and rewarding for their participants, can be presented. Dear readers, are you members and/or supporters of these vital institutions?
Which brings us back to this weekend’s conference in New York. The full-day gathering promises to take “a fresh look at the highways and byways of Ukrainian American life” by “visiting all dimensions” of the subject. The goal, of course, is to pay homage to those who came before us and established our unique Ukrainian American community, to scrutinize where we are today and to look ahead to what the future portends. (Look for a report on the proceedings in upcoming issues.)
Above all, this special presentation in the Ukrainian Historical Encounters Series underscores that, in order to successfully move into the future, it is important to be informed about the past of our organized Ukrainian American community.