UCCA leader tours Ukrainian communities in southern states (07/11/04)

UCCA leader tours Ukrainian communities in southern states

by Tamara Gallo-Olexy
Ukrainian Congress Committee of America

NEW YORK - In response to the growing Ukrainian community in the United States, the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) recently visited the Ukrainian communities in Georgia and Florida.

The Atlanta community invited the UCCA to assist in reorganizing its local branch, while the Ukrainian community in North Port, Fla., held its annual meeting with elections of its branch officers and a report on its activities in the past year.

UCCA President Michael Sawkiw Jr. visited the greater Atlanta metropolitan region in mid-spring and was given a tour of local attractions by the Ukrainian community: the Carter Presidential Library; CNN studios; Centennial Park (site of the 1996 Olympic Games); the Centers for Disease Control (CDC); Emory College. The Ukrainian community boasts of a Ukrainian Catholic and Orthodox Church, a Ukrainian Saturday school system, as well as a large influx of new immigrants from Ukraine.

Later that weekend, the UCCA president addressed the Ukrainian community at a meeting convened to rejuvenate the local UCCA branch. On the initiative of Dr. Ulana Bodnar and other local activists, Mr. Sawkiw presided over the proceedings. Much credit was given to Larissa Barabash-Temple for her many years of active work in organizing the Ukrainian community in the greater Atlanta area.

During the meeting, Mr. Sawkiw spoke about the changing dynamics of the Ukrainian community in the United States. "Based on the 2000 U.S. Census figures, Ukrainians in the United States have grown by over 100,000 within the last decade and have settled in new regions throughout the country," he stated. Such an increase in the number of Ukrainians, he said, enhances the community's political influence and the reach of its cultural events. Local Ukrainians in Atlanta related their experiences in organizing events such as Ukrainian festivals or commemorations of Taras Shevchenko.

Unlike other Ukrainian communities living in a more compact area, Atlanta's Ukrainians are fairly widespread throughout the greater metropolitan area.

"We look forward to activities that a rejuvenated UCCA branch will organize within our community to promote our concerns before the greater American society," stated one participant at the meeting. "It is necessary, and we will work together for the benefit of all Ukrainian Americans."

Plans for the newly reorganized state of Georgia UCCA branch include: commemorating Ukrainian Independence Day with mayoral and gubernatorial proclamations; promoting Ukrainian culture through various international festivals and events; as well as, assessing the needs of the newest Ukrainian immigrants to the state.

The newly elected Georgia UCCA Branch officers are: Dr. Bodnar, chairperson; Halyna Seredyuk, vice-chair; Oksana Foltyn, secretary; Roksolana Goshko, treasurer; Roslia Derkach, cultural affairs; Ms. Barabash-Temple, member-at-large; Zenon Franko, Halyna Nickolyshyn, Taras Stadnitski, Auditing Committee.

While in the South, the UCCA president also had an opportunity to attend the annual UCCA branch meeting in North Port. Well-known for its active and robust community composed mostly of retired individuals, the branch's dynamic work was evident in the report delivered by its branch chairperson, Daria Tomashosky.

"The branch was very active in efforts to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Ukrainian Genocide on the national scale, working to revoke Walter Duranty's Pulitzer Prize, as well as on a local level," stated Ms. Tomashosky. "Contacts with our local political representatives also were a major facet in our work throughout the 2003-year," she added.

In a brief overview of the UCCA's activities, Mr. Sawkiw thanked the North Port community for their activism and mentioned the role that individual communities had played in the successful commemoration of the Ukrainian Genocide of 1932-1933. "Though not successful in specifically revoking Duranty's Pulitzer Prize," Mr. Sawkiw said, "we were successful in informing the greater American public - through articles in major newspapers and journals, television, and radio - that the Ukrainian Genocide must be recognized by the world as a true crime against humanity."

An overriding theme of the UCCA president's address was the need for unity within the Ukrainian American community.

After a brief question and answer session, the local Ukrainian community elected their branch officers: Ms. Tomashosky, chair; Clara Shpichka, vice-chair; Yaroslav Horbachevsky, secretary; Halyna Lisychny, treasurer; Mykola Tsiko, Oksana Miz, Andrij Koverko, Auditing Committee.

| Home Page |