EDITORIAL: "The Ukrainian Weekly 2000" (05/07/00)

EDITORIAL

"The Ukrainian Weekly 2000"

The first volume of our two-volume publication called "The Ukrainian Weekly 2000" - a compilation of the most significant news stories and commentaries published by The Ukrainian Weekly during the newspaper's 66-plus years of existence - is now being delivered via mail to our all subscribers. The 288-page book covers events between 1933, when The Weekly was founded, through the 1960s. Volume II, to be completed later this year, will cover the 1970s through the 1990s.

Our hope is that these volumes become a resource for researchers (indicating just how much is available in our newspaper's archives, as well as the intrinsic value of newspapers), and a keepsake for readers of The Ukrainian Weekly. It is sure to please history buffs and community activists interested in seeing where our community has been, what its primary problems and concerns were, and how it reacted to events, both near and far, that affected our community.

Volume I contains contemporaneous reports on topics such as: the Great Famine of 1932-1933; the first Congress of Americans Ukrainians (1940), the German invasion of Ukraine during World War II (1941), the arrival of displaced persons in the United States (beginning in 1949), the first major tour of North America by the Taras Shevchenko Bandura Choir (1950), Ukrainian Americans' protests against Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev as he visited the U.S. (1960), the unveiling of the Shevchenko monument in Washington (1964), the elevation of former Soviet political prisoner Metropolitan Josyf Slipyj to cardinal (1965), the first World Congress of Free Ukrainians (1967), and much, much more. The articles are published in sections that begin with an overview of each decade's major news developments. We draw our readers' attention to the "Editors' Note" on page 11 of the book, which explains that the historic news stories, features and commentaries are reproduced as they were published. All spellings, transliterations, capitalizations, abbreviations, etc. were left intact, thus, there will be inconsistencies in spellings of place names and proper names. In addition, the editors explain that readers will notice differences in style from today's Weekly - these reflect the usage and accepted journalistic practice of the time.

This book was prepared in response to the inquiries of numerous readers who have asked why there isn't an English-language almanac-type publication akin to the Ukrainian-language UNA Almanac. "The Ukrainian Weekly 2000" is a trial balloon. If the response to this project is solid, we will try to publish more compilations of materials on diverse topics. But, to be totally honest, we must admit that we have undertaken this project for yet another reason: to raise funds for The Weekly. We hope to make a profit on this venture and thereby support the work of our newspaper and guarantee its existence into the future. Though each copy of Volume I of "The Ukrainian Weekly 2000" costs $15, we will be sincerely grateful for any additional donations to The Ukrainian Weekly Press Fund.

Readers will notice the advertisements published in the concluding section of the book. Income from these ads was used to defray the costs of this significant undertaking; that is why all our advertisers, especially UNA districts, branches and individual UNA leaders, deserve a special note of thanks in this space.

Our thanks, then, go out to all our readers and patrons who support the work of The Ukrainian Weekly. With your help we will continue to serve our community.

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