Twenty-seven years ago, on March 6, 1994, The Ukrainian Weekly’s editorial highlighted the yearlong centennial celebrations marking the founding of the Ukrainian National Association, the publisher of Svoboda and The Ukrainian Weekly newspapers.
In 1994, celebrations were kicked off with a gala centennial concert that was held on February 19 at Carnegie Hall in New York, with a reception the following day at the UNA’s headquarters, at the time, in Jersey City, N.J.
As part of the continuing coverage of the UNA centennial, readers of The Weekly were directed to that issue’s centerfold and beyond, where a photo spread showcased the employees of the UNA, “because it is they who serve this organization’s membership and the community at large,” the editorial noted.
The editorial explained: “They are the ones who process insurance certificates and answer insurance queries, handle applications for mortgage loans, take subscription orders, send out book orders, organize special events and serve advertisers. They typeset Svoboda, The Ukrainian Weekly and Veselka [a children’s supplemental publication], then print these periodicals, address them and mail them at the Main Post Office in Jersey City, or deliver them to newsstands in New York. They answer the phone and direct callers to the appropriate departments, they listen to readers’ and community members’ concerns and often offer advice, information or help.
“They help the news media and scholars who so frequently call for information, and they translate the historic documents of our day so they are accessible to the non-Ukrainian world (e.g. Ukraine’s declaration on state sovereignty and, later, its proclamation of independent statehood). They are an American presence and an independent news bureau in Kyiv, as well as a Ukrainian lobbying office in Washington. They are the face of the UNA to the world at large. And, to a large extent, they are representatives of Ukrainians, and yes, Ukraine, before the American and Canadian public and their governments.”
This year, the UNA celebrates the 127th anniversary since its founding on February 22, 1894. The editorial from 1994 underscored that the centennial celebration was for its employees as well, “a celebration for all those who’ve ever worked at the UNA Home Office or other UNA entities wherever they may be.” It was “a quiet, but heartfelt thank you to all these dedicated people who work behind the scenes at the world’s largest Ukrainian fraternal organization.”
Source: “A centennial appreciation,” The Ukrainian Weekly, March 6, 1994.