New York's mayor proclaims Ukrainian American Heritage Days (09/25/05)

THE 14th ANNIVERSARY OF UKRAINE'S INDEPENDENCE

New York's mayor proclaims Ukrainian American Heritage Days

NEW YORK - Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg proclaimed the period of September 1-11 as Ukrainian American Heritage Days in the city of New York.

The mayoral proclamation noted that August 24 marks Ukraine's independence anniversary and referred to the Orange Revolution as "a stirring reminder that the idealism and integrity that inspired Ukraine's independence movement remains a force to be reckoned with."

The proclamation also noted that "Ukrainians began arriving in New York in the late 1870s, but it wasn't until the completion in 1905 of St. George's Ukrainian Catholic Church that a true community took shape."

Mayor Bloomberg also wrote: "The legacy of fortitude and valor established by those who founded independent Ukraine is alive and well today among both Ukrainians and Ukrainian Americans. We take this opportunity to celebrate Ukraine's historical legacy, contemporary vitality and promising future."

The mayor's proclamation was read by Iryna Kurowyckyj, president of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America, to community members gathered on August 24 for a special divine liturgy at St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church in the East Village.

A proclamation of Ukrainian American Heritage Days was issued also by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz on September 7. The Ukrainian flag flew over Brooklyn Borough Hall for the duration of the period.

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