HOLLAND, Mich. – The Michigan Council of Social Studies held its annual conference on March 22-23 at Hope College in Holland, Mich. The theme of this year’s conference was “Inciting Inquisitive Individuals.” Social studies teachers from across the state traveled to Holland to attend the two days of conference sessions.
Doris Duzyj, retired social studies consultant and education chair for the Ukrainian American Holodomor Committee of Michigan, and Vera Andrushkiw, president of the Detroit Regional Council of the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America and vice-president of the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation, presented at the conference. Their session, “The Genocide Canary: Recognizing When Food is Becoming Weaponized,” was explained through the lens of the Ukrainian Holodomor Genocide of 1932-1933.
The historically documented uses of food as a weapon and Robert Stanton’s “Ten Stages of Genocide” were shared in detail. Ms. Andrushkiw presented a thorough overview of Ukraine and described the manipulated famine of the 1930s. Immediately following the Holodomor portion of the session, Dr. Borys Buniak’s new documentary, “When We Starve,” was shown to explain the physiological and psychological effects of starvation.
Also part of the program was instructing the participants on how to access the new Grades 6-12 Holodomor lesson plans on EduPaths.org, a professional development website administered by the Michigan Department of Education. All participants received flash drives with all four Holodomor units to share with their students.
To promote civic engagement and advocacy against hunger and genocide, two United Nations publications were reviewed: “Framework of Analysis for Atrocity Crimes” and “Plan of Action for Religious Leaders and Other Actors.” The framework is composed of 14 risk factors with an accompanying set of specific indicators. (Both publications were also uploaded to the teachers’ flash drives for use in their classrooms.)
Dr. Olena Danylyuk, a member of the Holodomor committee, was acknowledged for her invaluable assistance in preparing the conference PowerPoint presentations and handout materials.
The Ukrainian American Holodomor Genocide Committee of Michigan continues to receive requests to present its materials. Members look forward to pursuing all avenues to disseminate information about the Ukrainian Famine Genocide.