DOUBLE EXPOSURE: Feelin' Ukrainian in Philadelphia (10/09/05)

DOUBLE EXPOSURE

by Khristina Lew

Feelin' Ukrainian in Philadelphia

Despite the shenanigans in Ukraine of the past few weeks and the Western media's impatience with it, the changes in the Ukrainian government are a natural process for a European state. We may question some of the decisions taken by the powers that be, but politics is politics, and Ukraine has had almost the same number of prime ministers as years it's been independent. "Remember Fokin?" President Viktor Yushchenko asked Ukrainian Americans gathered at a banquet in his honor at The Pierre in New York last month. [Fokin was prime minister of Ukraine in the early 1990s during the student hunger strikes.]

We of Ukrainian descent may be concerned with the developments in our ancestral homeland, but I wanted to share with you the events that took place in Philadelphia when President Yushchenko received the Liberty Medal, and how great it felt to be Ukrainian that day.

President Yushchenko was awarded the 2005 Philadelphia Liberty Medal and $100,000 by the mayor of Philadelphia at the National Constitution Center on September 17. In accepting the award, Ukraine's president joined the ranks of the likes of Lech Walesa, Jimmy Carter, Vaclav Havel and Nelson Mandela as past recipients. Six former recipients of the award have gone on to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Liberty Medal honors an individual or organization from anywhere in the world that has demonstrated leadership and vision in pursuit of liberty of conscience or freedom from oppression, ignorance or deprivation. With all the incredible events that happened last year in terms of freedom and democracy, the Philadelphia Foundation, the non-profit group that administers the award, selected Mr. Yushchenko's deeds during the Orange Revolution as the world's most important.

When I arrived in Philadelphia to cover the awards ceremony for Svoboda, The Weekly's sister publication, I was surprised by how many Ukrainians and Americans of Ukrainian descent were there, waving Ukrainian and American flags and carrying signs that read "Greetings from Tysmennytsia" "Greetings from Ternopil." President Yushchenko acknowledged those greetings during his remarks, saying, "It is especially heartwarming to read signs [of greeting] when one is thousands of kilometers from home. Thank you for that."

The award ceremony was held on America's Constitution Day and all the speakers, including leading Pennsylvania politicians like Gov. Edward G. Rendell and Rep. Curt Weldon, artfully blended the theme of American democracy with the gains made by Ukraine during the Orange Revolution in their remarks.

Gov. Rendell spoke of the importance democracy holds for the city of Philadelphia, home of the American Constitution. He said of President Yushchenko, "We in Philadelphia watched from 9,500 miles away as you brought democracy to your country" during the Orange Revolution, and added, "I have no doubt that if President Yushchenko were alive in 1776, he would have stood right next to John Adams and George Washington."

Rep. Weldon, a longtime supporter of Ukraine in Congress, reminded the audience of President Yushchenko's April visit to Washington and how he, on behalf of the Ukrainian community of Philadelphia, presented President Yushchenko with an orange-and-white Philadelphia Flyers hockey jersey emblazoned with the number 1 and "Yushchenko."

The Ukrainian (and Ukrainian American) side did its fair share of showcasing as well. The award ceremony was brought to order by the sounds of the trembita, which was played from the rooftop of the Constitution Center. When I picture that moment in my mind's eye, it sends shivers down my spine.

The Ukraina Choir of Philadelphia performed, and the president and First Lady Kateryna Yushchenko were greeted with bread and salt by members of the Voloshky Ukrainian dance troupe.

World heavyweight champion Vitalii Klitschko introduced President Yushchenko and, not to be outdone, said, "It is an honor to be in Philadelphia, home of Rocky Balboa and democracy."

After accepting his award, President Yushchenko expressed his "special gratitude" to the Ukrainian community and said, "Thank you for the fact that whether you are home or far from home, in your heart you carry a great love for Ukraine."

It was a beautiful summer day, and it felt great being Ukrainian in America.

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