EDITORIAL: The Weekly's 73rd anniversary (10/01/06)

EDITORIAL

The Weekly's 73rd anniversary

On October 6, 1933, the first issue of this newspaper rolled off the presses in Jersey City, N.J., as a supplement to the then-40-year-old Svoboda Ukrainian-language daily newspaper.

It was a four-page tabloid-format publication born of the needs of the times. A famine was raging in Ukraine, and the truth about this genocide against the Ukrainian nation cried out to be told. At the same time, younger generations of Ukrainian Americans were becoming assimilated into the American milieu, and something had to be done to ensure that they remained in touch with the Ukrainian community and their national identity.

The Ukrainian National Association, a fraternal benefit insurance company established in 1894 to assist Ukrainian immigrants to the United States, saw that an English-language newspaper could fill both needs. And, thus, The Ukrainian Weekly was born.

Today, The Weekly, is a spry 73. (For math fans, that means we're still in our prime since 73 is a prime number.) Thanks to the sponsorship of the UNA, it continues to fulfill its role in serving the Ukrainian community and the Ukrainian nation. Today its mission is to provide news about Ukraine and Ukrainians, and to serve as a network of sorts for our far-flung community, whether that's in Washington, D.C., or Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, or points in between, as well as those outside North America.

To be sure, there is always news from Ukraine, as our community continues to care about developments in our ancestral homeland. However, we're making a conscious effort to focus the spotlight more intensely on our community here, for example, by featuring more news from the diaspora on page 1. (Since June, there has been a diaspora story on 14 out of 18 front pages.)

In the end, however, what's most important about The Weekly is that it's always been a partnership with our community, with our readers. From its inception through today, The Weekly has worked with community members to promote their causes, to highlight their work, to share their news with others.

With our huge staff of three editors - one of whom is in Ukraine, where he's doing a tremendous job - we depend a lot on you, Dear Readers, to send in information and photos from your local communities. And, we do use these submissions. If you haven't seen something lately from your community, it's because no one's sent it in! Thus, we invite you to join the ranks of our contributors.

As the new season of community activities has begun, The Weekly has several new features, among them a new column (by Yaro Bihun) and a blog (by Taras Kuzio). There will be more new offerings (and some less obvious changes) in the near future, as well as an increased presence on the Internet - all in an effort to better serve our community and to remain relevant and interesting for new generations of readers. Let us know what you think by e-mailing, calling, or writing. We'd love to hear from you!

We think the best way to celebrate The Ukrainian Weekly's 73rd birthday is to take a step back, look at where we've been and refocus with a view toward the future. Most importantly, however, we feel it's a great time to say to you, Dear Readers: Let's renew our partnership!

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