The 2020 Conference says: yes, the diaspora will survive
by Roma Hadzewycz
EAST HANOVER, N.J. - There will be a North American Ukrainian diaspora in the year 2020. That was the answer heard loud and clear at The 2020 Conference sponsored by the Ukrainian American Professionals and Businesspersons Association (UAPBA) of New York and New Jersey over the weekend of October 10-11 here at the Ramada Inn.
The question of whether there will be a diaspora for the next generation and whether that matters "to us, to our descendants and to Ukraine" was one of many posed during the two-day conference attended by more than 120 persons from various communities and diverse organizations scattered throughout the United States and Canada.
The conference was opened by Bohdan Vitvitsky, an assistant U.S. attorney in the Frauds Division, District of New Jersey, who is a founder of the UAPBA and its current president. It was Dr. Vitvitsky who guided the conference from its germination as an idea to its conclusion.
Setting the stage for the four panel presentations that were to follow, Dr. Vitvitsky offered that "there are three views of our community": the first says "don't worry, we're on automatic pilot"; the second that "only Ukraine matters"; and the third, which he referred to as "the sky is falling, the sky is falling" view, is that "we as a diaspora are doomed to near immediate extinction."
"I and some of my colleagues do not subscribe to any of these views. And, it is in part our disagreement with all of these views that has prompted us to organize this conference," he explained.
"I believe that there are still far too many of us who care about what we have inherited to allow our community to disappear," he stated. "It does matter a great deal whether there is a diaspora in the year 2020, and the reasons it does are numerous."
Among the reasons Dr. Vitvitsky cited were: "the diaspora is a transmission belt for a rich and distinctive cultural, religious and intellectual heritage created over centuries on two continents"; the diaspora serves as a "counterweight to the vulgarity and moral imbecility of so much that passes for popular culture in North America today"; the Ukrainian ethos is "an endangered species"; Ukraine still needs our help; and, finally, "we owe it to ... the millions upon millions of Ukrainians ... who fought and died to preserve that which was handed down to us - to stay the course and keep our blood- and tear-soaked heritage and traditions alive both for our children and grandchildren."
Dr. Vitvitsky exhorted his listeners: "we must collectively commit ourselves to the community's continuity" and that requires an "investment of time, imagination and money."
The speaker went on to elaborate a number of suggestions for what the community should do to sustain itself. (The full text of Dr. Vitvitsky's speech will be published in future issues of The Ukrainian Weekly.)
He concluded by outlining what is needed for the diaspora to survive and thrive: "we must understand that the community's future depends on us"; "we must come to understand that we're all in this together" and take advantage of the synergies that we have; we need "a renewed commitment"; "we must learn to market and promote the community's value and attractiveness to ourselves and our children"; and we "need to strengthen the intellectual base for our continued existence."
Views of the younger generation
First to offer their views and perspectives on the diaspora's future were members of what was dubbed "the younger generation" (for purposes of this conference defined as those under age 35): Oleh Mahlay, an attorney from Columbus, Ohio, and creative director of the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus; Xenia Piaseckyj, a radio journalist from New York; Taras Szmagala Jr., an attorney from Cleveland; Oksana Stojko, an architect from Montville, N.J.; and Stefko Kuropas, a banker from the Chicago area. Mark Kapij, an engineer and entrepreneur from Billerica, Mass., served as moderator.
"The Ukrainian diaspora is a unique creature that must be treated apart from Ukraine. ... We must take a look at our diaspora here, worry about the organism here, and preserve the diaspora culture," underlined Mr. Mahlay. Previous generations, he continued, "preserved the Ukrainian heritage, much like an archive. But I believe our diaspora now has a life of its own, independent of Ukraine. We should nurture what we have."
The community's goals, according to Mr. Mahlay, should be: to preserve the accomplishments of the diaspora; to seek professionalism and raise the level of our organizations via talent and financial resources ("maybe there are some diaspora organizations that should wither away; but, we must give positive criticism in order to improve our organizations," he explained); and to serve as good will ambassadors for Ukraine and Ukrainian culture.
Ms. Piaseckyj, a self-described "regular member of the Ukrainian community" who is actively involved in the Plast Ukrainian Youth Organization, observed: "There is no doubt that there will be Ukrainians outside of Ukraine," and thus there is no doubt that there will be a diaspora in the year 2020.
She was perhaps the first of many panelists to rephrase the central question posed by the conference: "I don't think the diaspora will die. The question is: What will it look like?"
"It matters to me that the diaspora continue to exist. Will it matter to our descendants? That depends on us," she continued. Furthermore, she expressed the view that the community has a solid foundation on which it can build and continue to provide what she referred to as a "home base" for Ukrainians. "I don't think we need to salvage - we need to build," she concluded.
Mr. Szmagala prefaced his remarks by stating that he prefers the term "community" to "diaspora," because it more accurately reflects the situation. He went on to relate that he, a third-generation Ukrainian, had "back-doored" his way in to the community: "I became a member of the community because it filled a need. I wanted to be part of something greater than myself."
Previously, he explained, "our organizations were filled because they were a monopoly; we were not responding to market forces." The challenge today, he said, is "to make our organizations relevant," for example, as in the case of the Ukrainian National Association, which Mr. Szmagala serves an advisor on the General Assembly, "we have to make membership something people want."
"Our community will exist in the year 2020 because we need it - not because we are members of that community out of obligation," he stated.
Ms. Stojko emphasized that whether the diaspora continues to exist "depends on the parents of today. ... The yuppies need to show the same commitment and generosity to the Ukrainian community that their parents showed."
That said, she also pointed out that much depends upon the availability and proximity of Ukrainian activities and facilities for children, as well as new educational materials.
Ms. Stojko, who is the mother of a 4-year-old girl, also advised that it is important for parents and children to read the community's newspapers and to support Ukrainian political organizations that influence Washington.
Speaking from his vantage point as first vice-president of the Ukrainian National Association, Mr. Kuropas outlined three factors needed to sustain the community: "first, we must enjoy being Ukrainian ...; second, we need to have democracy in our organizations ...; and third, we require competent leadership and, thus, must choose leaders who have a vision."
As regards the UNA, Mr. Kuropas said the organization has experienced declining revenues due to declining membership; another factor in the UNA's predicament is its investments, e.g., losses on Canadian funds and not enough investment in the stock market. As a result, the UNA has less money to put toward various fraternal activities and benefits. Mr. Kuropas pointed to the closing of the UNA Washington Office, the termination of the Veselka children's magazine, cutbacks in scholarships and the transformation of Svoboda from a daily to a weekly as examples of fraternal benefits that have been negatively affected.
"What conditions are needed for our community to survive?" he asked and then enumerated three major elements: use of both the Ukrainian and English languages ("knowledge of Ukrainian should not be the litmus test of Ukrainianism," he stated) and membership in our Churches and fraternals, "the two institutions that are key to our community life."
The Canadian perspective
Following a luncheon at which the principal address on the conference theme prepared by Ukraine's Ambassador to the United States Yuri Shcherbak was read by the second secretary of the Embassy of Ukraine, Vasyl Zorya, the conference's panel presentations continued with "The Canadian Perspective on the Future of the North American Diaspora and the Relationship Between the Future of the Canadian and American Communities."
[Excerpts of Ambassador Shcherbak's remarks, delivered in Ukrainian, will be published in next week's issue.]
The moderator was Renata Holod, archeologist and professor of art history at the University of Pennsylvania.
First to speak was Vic Satzewich, associate professor of sociology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, who laid the groundwork by questioning whether the Ukrainian community is a diaspora at all. He pointed to the writing of fellow Ukrainian Canadian Thomas Prymak who argued that Ukrainians are not a diaspora because historically most Ukrainians have lived in the European homeland and, furthermore, Ukrainian Canadians are so assimilated into Canadian society that they think of themselves as Canadian first.
"There is now a struggle for Ukrainian Canadian organizations to reinvent themselves, a turn inward." This, he added, is coupled with "a feeling that we must have a strong diaspora to have a strong Ukraine," Prof. Satzewich continued.
He also noted the presence of the so-called "Fourth Wave" of immigrants from Ukraine, "who have very immediate and materials needs" that define their orientation. For the most part, "These concerns are not reflected in our community," he noted, adding that a few organizations in Canada are now starting to take up immigration issues, such as evaluation of educational credentials from Ukraine, which often are undervalued in Canada; and speeding up immigration processing.
Another Canadian perspective was offered by a transplanted American, Dr. Zenon Kohut, director of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Alberta. Identifying himself as both an insider and an outsider since he had arrived in Edmonton only seven years ago, Dr. Kohut pointed to "the pride the people feel in being descendants of pioneers in the prairie provinces" and "the penetration of elements of Ukrainian culture into the prairie culture; for example, borsch and pyrohy, known as perogies, are available in any mall." In addition there is Ukrainian dance: Ukrainian dance ensembles are pervasive and even non-Ukrainian troupes will have the Hopak as part of their repertoire, Dr. Kohut observed.
"For the most part, the food, dance and pride are sufficient" for the identity of Ukrainians in western Canada. "But these people are outside of the Ukrainian community. "Of the 100,000 Ukrainians in Edmonton (whose population is 700,000), not more than 15 percent are part of the organized community," that is, of the Churches, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, the fraternals, said Dr. Kohut.
The Ukrainian community in Edmonton, he continued, is run by members of the second and third generations. "This melding of two generations led to a strong emphasis on education," he said. Bilingual primary education was, in fact, an attempt not to maintain but to reintroduce Ukrainian. There are bilingual programs also on the secondary school level and Ukrainian studies programs up to the Ph.D. level - all aimed at preserving the Ukrainian identity. "This infrastructure has sufficient depth to maintain the community, albeit a shrinking one, but that infrastructure is shrinking because it is underutilized," Dr. Kohut stated.
He concluded by noting that there are two avenues to strengthen the Ukrainian community: the Fourth Wave could reinvigorate the community and more people could be attracted into the existing infrastructure.
Attorney Ihor Bardyn, president of the Chair of Ukrainian Studies Foundation at the University of Toronto, began by stating "I am not here to give the last rites to the diaspora."
He noted, "we in Canada are not a diaspora, ... Ukrainian Canadians refer to themselves as a community." He went on to note that the community in Canada "is thoroughly assimilated - we consider ourselves to be Canadians because in Canada our ethnic differences have been encouraged."
He noted a refocusing of energies in Canada: two years ago, he said, the Ukrainian Canadian professionals and businesspersons convention refocused on the Ukrainian community; the Ukrainian National Federation, which held its convention two months ago, elected an executive that was part diaspora (émigrés) and part Ukrainian Canadian; and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, meeting that weekend in Winnipeg, though composed mostly of pensioners, also has seen that it must focus on the community in Canada.
The keys to maintaining the Ukrainian identity, Mr. Bardyn related, are strengthening the Ukrainian family, promoting the language and Churches; and using the Internet.
The diaspora, he concluded, has much to be proud of as it saw the establishment of Ukrainian independence as well as chairs of Ukrainian studies at Harvard, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa and Columbia. And, it can continue such work.
Alexis Kochan, a vocalist and psychologist from Winnipeg, took a different approach, asking her audience to join her in singing, in polyphonic style, a haunting Ukrainian song, "Oy Hillia." And the result was awesome.
Her point: "We need to more often rejoice in being Ukrainian."
She continued by exhorting her audience: "We need to define ourselves - who are we? And we need to support the culture-makers, those with ideas, new ideas. ... We don't resonate enough out there."
But, in order to do that, she explained, "We have to first become more culturally literate ourselves. We have to promote our artists and musicians." For example, now, with all the interest in world music, is a good time for Ukrainian musicians to come out onto the scene.
Also needed, according to Ms. Kochan: "pride, an intelligentsia, philanthropists, investors ..."
Later that evening she demonstrated some of what Ukrainians can and should be proud of as she and bandurist Julian Kytasty, members of the Paris to Kyiv ensemble, performed during the conference banquet.
The keynote speaker at the banquet was Dr. Roman Szporluk, director of the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University. [Highlights of Dr. Szporluk's remarks will be published next week.]
The Fourth Wave speaks
The final panel of the first day was introduced by moderator Vitali Chernetsky, an assistant professor in the department of Slavic languages at Columbia University who was born and reared in Odesa, as being dedicated to "the mythic Fourth Wave."
"The diaspora will be saved by dialogue," stated Serhiy Myroniuk, an editor at the Svoboda Ukrainian-language weekly newspaper, at the outset of his remarks.
"New immigrants," he advised, "should first become familiar with the situation here; at the same time, the diaspora should not prejudge new immigrants, but should be willing to take the time to understand them." What is key, he emphasized, "is that there must be a desire for mutual understanding."
He touched upon a segment of the Fourth Wave that seems to be forgotten by the diaspora: the many apolitical believers, primarily Pentecostals, who have arrived in this country. Members of this group, he noted, values their religious beliefs above all; to them language is not important. Thus, he explained, there is more of a problem in reaching them. Mr. Myroniuk's advice was to reach such communities by first establishing good contacts with one of their own members, who could then go on to influence his fellow community members.
Mr. Myroniuk, who hails from Lutsk, Ukraine, also stated his belief that the diaspora will indeed continue to exist: "this is consistent with the laws of self-preservation; there is an internal need for people to associate with their own." Furthermore, he said, "The diaspora's goals continue," as Ukraine still is not secure as an independent democratic state.
The real question, Mr. Myroniuk affirmed, is "What will the diaspora's goals be?" And here, he added, "dialogue among all groups will be all-important."
Kateryna Nemyra, a radio journalist, artist and teacher who arrived in this country from Lviv Oblast, prefaced her remarks by saying, "I don't want to be labeled. I want to remain a Ukrainian." She rejected stereotyping and referred instead to "our common dream: to confirm the independence of Ukraine." Therefore, she said, she is optimistic about the future, "if only we work together, forget about our differences and focus on what we have in common."
To underscore that optimism about the Ukrainian nation's future, she read several essays written by third graders, an assignment that asked them to describe how they envision their future. Aside from child-like statements - for example, my husband will be rich, we will have six children and they will all be good, I will marry a basketball player, we will live in a big house - the essays contained a common thread: all referred in some fashion to things Ukrainian, whether it was the language spoken at home, or school, church attendance or membership in Plast. Clearly, Ms. Nemyra noted, our children see a future for our diaspora.
She went on to state that the community must build awareness about Ukrainian poets and writers among youth in Ukrainian schools; it must support groups from Ukraine that visit here and establish contacts with them; "we must instill pride in our nation and our people's achievements - and not teach our children only about the sufferings and struggles of the Ukrainian nation."
Peter Rybchuk, who has been in the U.S. since 1994 and publishes Zakordonna Hazeta, a biweekly Ukrainian-language newspaper that targets new immigrants, noted both the negative and the positive within the diaspora.
The negative: "activity in the Ukrainian community is decreasing rapidly," for example, membership in Churches and the Ukrainian National Association is going down, he said.
The positive: in the past 11 years, according to Mr. Rybchuk, 3 million persons left Ukraine; 1 million of them are in North America; of that number four-fifths are Russian Jews, which leaves about 200,000 Ukrainians. [The sources for these figures were not given. -Ed.] Mr. Rybchuk asked: "Where are they?" He answered by stating that many of them find jobs in Russian, Polish or Jewish businesses; they read the Russian-language press - "they find jobs and information elsewhere."
Mr. Rybchuk suggested that the diaspora "must share its power, ... leaders age 65 and up must step down." He added, "New immigrants must be given authority so that they can feel their own responsibility."
Citing the tactics used by Lenin, who advised taking over the telegraphs and post offices, Mr. Rybchuk said the media should be used to strengthen the diaspora and "save the Ukrainian soul." He cited the work of the Ukrainian Broadcasting Network and went on to state that "what is needed is one good Ukrainian newspaper," while expressing his opinion that the Russian-language newspaper "Novoye Russkoye Slovo is on par with The New York Times."
Sunday's program began with a performance by the Yara Arts Group, accompanied by brief remarks by Virlana Tkacz - both aimed at addressing the topic "Some Possible News Ways of Defining Ukrainian Content in Art and Culture for the Year 2020."
"We should be inclusive, as we no longer have to be concerned with the purity of our culture," Ms. Tkacz observed. Her troupe then demonstrated how works of Ukrainian writers and Ukrainian content can be presented effectively to non-Ukrainian audiences by artists of diverse backgrounds.
Perspectives of the mid-life generation
The fourth and final panel of the two-day conference presented the perspectives of the mid-life generation. Novelist and poet Askold Melnyczuk served as moderator, introducing presentations by a diverse foursome: the Rev. Andriy Chirovsky, professor of theology and director of the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies at St. Paul University in Ottawa; Vera Andrushkiw, lecturer on Eastern European business and economics and Ukrainian language at Wayne State University; Peter Paluch, an entrepreneur and community activist from Rutherford, N.J.; and architect and Plast activist George Sawicki of New York.
The Rev. Chirovsky began by painting a picture of the Church by the year 2020: "It can be expected to be reduced to one-third of what it is now" - that is, in the case of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, to less than 40,000 members. What we see today, he said, is "a post-modern à la carte approach to Church life by baby-boomers, generation Xers and boomlets (boomers' offspring)."
"They will only return to a Ukrainian Church, he continued, "if it is good, or perhaps very good." What the Churches now need to do is "to maintain, to win back and to recruit new members."
The Rev. Chirovsky observed that "The Church has to change the way in which it is Ukrainian; it needs to undergo a paradigm shift, whereby it will be from the Ukrainian people, but for all." To do this, he said, "we have to tap into the depth of our ecclesial tradition," and suggested that, "if the Church is to be for all," perhaps the term "Kyivan Church" should be used instead of the designation "Ukrainian."
"To identify with the Kyivan Church is to be distinctive, but with roots in Ukraine," he said, adding that he faults Church leaders for not educating the faithful about the Kyivan tradition.
Ms. Andrushkiw focused on the mid-life generation's very special role as "the middlemen, brokers, connectors and bridges both between the generations and between Ukraine and the diaspora."
"We are now entering a new phase in our existence," she cautioned. "We must be inclusive, rather than exclusive, and we must also have fun being Ukrainian," as pleasant memories are a key factor in group cohesiveness. As well, she continued, Ukrainians must be represented within the American community in which they live, and the diaspora should make efforts to "get Americans involved in caring for Ukraine."
As well, Ukrainians must "become more professional about community life."
That theme was picked up by Mr. Paluch, who emphasized the importance of "quality vs. quantity" in community life. "Some organizations today are on life support." That is because "after 1991, when Ukraine became independent, previously well-defined organizations no longer had a game plan that worked," he said.
Mr. Paluch outlined what Ukrainian organizations must do to survive: "set high standards, be substantive and develop leadership skills." He cited the Ukrainian National Association as an example of an organization that suffers from the lack of such qualities, but quickly added that it's not the only organization affected, but it is the largest one.
Mr. Sawicki commented that "we often overcomplicate issues that are clear-cut ... The existence of independent Ukraine both enriches us and undermines our reason for being. But, whether we like it or not, there will be a diaspora in 2020. The only question is what will it be like - and that will depend on our children."
Therefore, he said, we must focus on our youth. "We must give them what they deserve, and we should not be afraid to spend money on ourselves here - many of our organizations scrimp and save, but for what?"
Summing up
The task of providing a historical context and wrapping up The Year 2020 Conference fell to Dr. Myron B. Kuropas, historian of the Ukrainian emigration and author, who, proceeding from the premise that "to understand where we are, we have to understand where we have been," provided a quick overview of the successive emigrations to the United States.
"Each generation had has to redefine itself and develop a program to continue its existence." The first wave of immigrants struggled with their self-identification; about 40 percent of those who considered themselves "Rusyns" became Ukrainians. The second wave faced a different question: Who is the best Ukrainian - the socialist, the communist, or the nationalist? The third wave asked: Who is the better nationalist?
Now there is the "Fourth Wave," as they refer to themselves, Dr. Kuropas continued. "This is an economic emigration like the first wave, but that is the only similarity. The first wave had an identity and Church affiliation, but this wave is "Homo Sovieticus" - the products of Soviet society. "However, they do offer us resources, and we have the opportunity to make use of these resources" - if they join in the work of our community, he pointed out.
Lauding Dr. Vitvitsky, "who set the tone and said everything that needed to be said in the first 40 minutes of this conference," Dr. Kuropas then summarized some of the conclusions of the conference:
But, most important, Dr. Kuropas said, is that "we need a follow-up." We should publish this conference's findings, distribute and discuss them within our communities, and then hold a follow-up conference.
Dr. Vitvitsky then took the podium as the final speaker of the two-day event to offer his summation. "What did we accomplish at this conference? We generated ideas that can influence the functioning of our community, But we can't drag our community leaders here. A few came, but we were hoping for more participation. It is unfortunate that more of them weren't here to listen and to participate."
Perhaps the main message of The 2020 Conference was: we have to get together and work collectively to make things work. To that end, Dr. Vitvitsky said, "We are willing to share everything we've created here, names, numbers, etc., so that such conferences can be recreated elsewhere within our community." Indeed, activists from at least two cities have expressed interest in holding similar conferences: Chicago and Cleveland.
The principal sponsors of The 2020 Conference were: Selfreliance Ukrainian American Federal Credit Union based in Newark, N.J., the Ukrainian National Association, Self Reliance (New York) Federal Credit Union, the Heritage Foundation of 1st Security Savings based in Chicago, "Kontakt" TV and the Ramada Inn of East Hanover, N.J.
Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, October 18, 1998, No. 42, Vol. LXVI
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