Dear Editor:
Until now the Ukrainian American community’s involvement in U.S. political matters has been mostly focused on Russia’s impact on Ukraine and how to influence U.S. policies. It is time for us to broaden that stance. We Ukrainian Americans are first and foremost Americans – we live in the U.S., we work in the U.S. and we vote here, our children and grandchildren were born here, and most of us will be buried here. We should all support a more equitable and just U.S. society.
And yet, historically we have neither taken the time nor made the effort to understand the impact of racial diversity and, especially, the tragic and complex history of African Americans. The opinion piece by Andriy Semotiuk titled “Why Ukrainians should support Black Lives Matter Movement”(June 28/July 5) was most welcome. I was also very glad to see the July 12 paid ad in The Ukrainian Weekly announcing the formation of the Ukrainian Antiracist Community. Its calls to action are thoughtful and targeted.
On the other hand, the letters from Dr. Michael Karol and Dr. George Baranowskyj (July 26) are completely off the mark in ascribing the Black Lives Matter movement for racial justice in the U.S. to Russian interference and dismissing it as the work of a Marxist-Leninist group. How easy it is to hide behind the Russian bogeyman rather than confront racism in our Ukrainian American community.
Alicia Szendiuch
Watertown, Mass.