EDITORIAL: January 22 lives on (01/19/03)

EDITORIAL

January 22 lives on

For decades, January 22 was celebrated by Ukrainians around the globe as the Independence Day of Ukraine. Today, however, we have another, more recent, independence anniversary, as Ukraine's government has declared August 24 - the date in 1991 when Ukraine's Supreme Council voted to adopt the "Act of Declaration of the Independence of Ukraine" - a national holiday. Many in our diaspora have now chosen to celebrate the August 24 Independence Day, while forgetting about January 22.

Nonetheless, we firmly believe that January 22 is a date that lives in history and, as such, should be a time for us to contemplate Ukraine's arduous, yet ultimately successful, road to independence - especially this year, on the 85th anniversary of the proclamation of independence.

It was on January 22, 1918, that the Ukrainian Central Rada in Kyiv issued an edict that was the realization of an age-old dream of the Ukrainian people. "Henceforth, the Ukrainian National Republic is an independent, free and sovereign state of the Ukrainian people, subject to no one," it proclaimed.

Then, exactly one year later, the Act of Union consolidated all Ukrainian lands, east and west, into one Ukrainian National Republic. The historic merger, which occurred at a time of great chaos, the collapse of authority, social turmoil and war, came after the Ukrainian National Rada, the representative assembly of the Western Ukrainian National Republic, voted on January 4, 1919, in Stanyslaviv to unite with their compatriots in Kyiv.

The Act of Union between the Western Ukrainian National Republic and the Ukrainian National Republic was proclaimed on January 22, 1919, in Kyiv's St. Sophia Square. Consequently, a common general staff for both armies was created, a common currency was introduced, and a joint diplomatic delegation was sent to the Paris Peace Conference.

To be sure, the independence proclaimed in 1918-1919 was short-lived, as it fell victim to both external forces and internal factors. However, as Dr. Orest Subtelny underlines in his "Ukraine: A History" (University of Toronto Press), the Ukrainian revolution of 1917-1920 spread national consciousness to all segments of Ukrainian society. "... the rise of Ukrainian governments taught peasants to identify themselves as 'Ukrainians.' ... [Thus] the upheaval of 1917-1920 was not only a socioeconomic but also a national revolution."

So, then, the revolution whose key events are dated January 22, must be considered a success. Furthermore, its memory kept the Ukrainian national idea alive and it laid the groundwork for what was to come - albeit decades later.

As a result of the two events that took place on January 22 one year apart, and as a reaffirmation of the Ukrainian people's right to a life free of Russian Communist domination, the diaspora began to celebrate January 22 just as Americans celebrate the Fourth of July. Thirty years ago, in 1973, St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic School in Newark, N.J., became the first school to observe this day as a holiday. City halls and state capitols across the nation raised the Ukrainian flag in commemoration, and Ukrainian communities celebrated a glorious day in Ukraine's history. Local observances grew into national events, with Ukrainian businesses and institutions being closed in honor of the day. And the dream of Ukrainian independence lived on.

That is why Ukrainians worldwide should continue to recall the milestone date of January 22. Let us mark the January 22 anniversaries each year by remembering Ukraine's long struggle for statehood - perhaps via something as simple as delving into our history books to refresh our knowledge. Let us also honor all those who came before us, who paved the way for Ukraine's current status as an independent member of the world community of nations - for today's independence is built upon the sacrifices of many preceding generations.

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