The 53rd Presidential Inaugural features an ethnic perspective (01/26/97)

The 53rd Presidential Inaugural features an ethnic perspective

by Michael Sawkiw Jr.
Ukrainian National Information Service

WASHINGTON - The final inauguration of the 21st century, President William Jefferson Clinton's second, America's 53rd, was commemorated by three days of festivities in the nation's capital on January 18-20. The theme of the weekend-long celebration was "An American Journey," a multi-faceted program that highlighted America's strong ethnic and cultural heritage through performances, exhibits, lectures and galas, and culminated in the traditional oath of office, Inaugural parade and Inaugural balls.

A Sunday afternoon brunch, "A Celebration of the American Mosaic," was hosted by the National Democratic Ethnic Coordinating Committee (NDECC), a sub-committee of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), one of the main organizers behind many inaugural events. A celebration of the strength of America's ethnic diversity, the brunch was entirely produced by ethnic leaders and communities throughout America. Planned as an ethnic salute to the victory of President Clinton and Vice-President Al Gore, the brunch was held in the elegant ballroom of the National Press Club in Washington where leaders and ethnic coordinators from the Democratic Party and more than 500 guests came together to reflect on the role of ethnic diversity in American culture and life.

The Ukrainian leaders of the NDECC are Julian Kulas, president of 1st Security Savings Bank in Chicago, and Andrew Fedynsky, vice-president of North Shore Consultants in Cleveland. Both Ukrainian Americans are prominent in their communities, the former a member of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America Inc. (UCCA), and the latter, a director of the Ukrainian Museum Archives.

Yuri Shcherbak, Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., as well as ambassadors and dignitaries from more than a dozen embassies were also present to salute the accomplishments of ethnic Americans.

The brunch began with a brief welcome by Jolene M. Molitoris, administrator for the Federal Railroad Administration and a Polish American, who served as mistress of ceremonies. Archbishop Vatche Hovsepian, primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, delivered the invocation while Matthew Ujvagi, a Hungarian American, sang the national anthem. Speeches from senior Clinton administration officials included Donna Shalala, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (a Lebanese American), and Alexis Herman, former director of the White House Office of Public Liaison and now secretary of labor-designate.

Each expressed in her own words the sentiment that reverberated throughout the luncheon: America, a multi-ethnic country, forms a successful national mosaic that is unique in the world.

In her capacity as director of the White House Office of Public Liaison, Ms. Herman thanked her assistant Marilyn DiGiacobbe for the coordination of ethnic affairs for the White House. Ms. Herman continued, "[Ethnic Americans] have enabled us to continue on this historic journey," making the diversity of America a unifying element in the work of this country.

Reflecting on "The Bridge to the 21st Century," one of the exhibits in the "American Journey" celebration, Secretary Shalala focused her remarks on the future. "Nothing," stated Secretary Shalala, "is more precious [in America] than our children. We have giant steps to take in this century ... to make the 21st century even better for everyone."

Also present at the luncheon were Donald Fowler, the DNC's most recent national chairman, and Roy Romer, governor of Colorado and the new chairman of the DNC. Both spoke with enthusiasm as they emphasized the commanding role played by ethnic Americans in shaping the course of history in this country.

Several members of the U.S. House of Representatives received acknowledgments for participating in the luncheon, including Reps. Pat Danner (D-Mo.), Tom Foglietta (D-Pa.) and Dale Kildee (D-Mich.).

For the 1996 campaign, the NDECC targeted nine states in the midwest and northeast, states with a large concentration of ethnic Americans. In these states, ethnic Americans had been identified as the swing vote. Jim Zogby, an organizer within the NDECC, stated that due to the efforts of ethnic coordinators in rallying their communities, the Clinton-Gore campaign won all nine states.

Numerous representatives of Ukrainian American organizations were invited, and among those attending were Zenon and Nadia Matkiwsky (Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund), Bozhena Olshaniwsky (Americans for Human Rights in Ukraine), Anya Dydyk-Petrenko (Ukrainian National Association), a group of young Ukrainian American Democrats from the greater New York-New Jersey area, and members of the Ukrainian National Information Service (UNIS), the Washington bureau of the UCCA.

The next day, after taking his oath of office, President Clinton remarked in his Inaugural address, "The world is no longer divided into two hostile camps. Instead, now we are building bonds with nations that were once our adversaries. Growing connections of commerce and culture give us a chance to lift the fortunes and spirits of people the world over. ... And for the very first time in all history, more people on this planet live under democracy than dictatorship."

In a show of bipartisan support for the new president, the Republican-led Senate Foreign Relations Committee met just prior to the swearing-in ceremony in the morning and voted unanimously to recommend to the Senate the confirmation of Amb. Madeleine Albright as the first woman secretary of state. On Wednesday, January 22, the entire Senate voted to confirm.

Among the exhibits in the parade, which was held after the president's oath and the traditional luncheon hosted by Congress for the new president, current and former volunteers of the Peace Corps carried the flags of over 130 countries where Peace Corps programs are and have been active. The Ukrainian blue-and-yellow flag could be seen among the multi-colored mix of flags of numerous countries.

With the day's inaugural formalities completed, the evening brought star-studded galas scattered throughout Washington. At the Kennedy Center (one of 15 official Inaugural balls), the gala represented the states of New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Prior to President Clinton's arrival, Rep. Benjamin Gilman (R-N.Y.), chairman of the House International Relations Committee, provided a brief interview to UNIS staff. When asked his opinion on the current political and economic situation in Ukraine, Chairman Gilman noted that "We are much concerned about Ukraine and also its neighbor to the north, Belarus. Ukraine needs our help economically to sustain the gains they have already accomplished." Rep. Gilman expressed his wish to see Ukraine in an enlarged NATO, if Ukraine so desires.

In a response to a question about the focus of the Clinton administration vis-a-vis Ukraine in the next four years, Rep. Gilman stated that he hoped to see more specifics,and stated that the House International Relations Committee will pay closer attention to Ukraine.

The president and first lady arrived at the gala at approximately 12:30 a.m. and were enthusiastically greeted by the revelers. President Clinton greeted and thanked the crowd, and after a brief dance, the first couple was whisked away to other official Inaugural balls. However, the party-goers danced into the wee hours of the morning, celebrating the inauguration of their president, and another peaceful transition of power in the world's oldest and largest democracy.

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