Gala Celebration of UCCA 70th Anniversary
25 May 2010
Washington, DC (UNIS) – What began seventy years ago in Washington, DC on May 24, 1940 with the founding of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, an umbrella representative organization of Ukrainian Americans, was commemorated in an elegant manner on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 in the halls of the United States Congress. The gala congressional reception was the inaugural event to mark the UCCA’s 70 years of dedicated service to the Ukrainian community. Other activities throughout the year will include celebrations in communities throughout the United States; a DVD short-history of the UCCA highlighting its achievements since 1940; and, a culminating gala banquet in New York in May 2011.
Nearly one hundred community activists and leaders gathered from throughout the United States for the celebratory fete, which was highlighted by a host of guests and Members of Congress. Michael Sawkiw, Jr., the current Director of the Ukrainian National Information Service (UNIS), the Washington public affairs office of the UCCA, and former UCCA President, served as the master of ceremonies for the evening’s gala. His Grace, Metropolitan Stefan Soroka of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia began the proceedings with a prayer of Thanksgiving, followed by greetings from UCCA President, Ms. Tamara Gallo Olexy. In her opening remarks, Ms. Olexy mentioned the UCCA forefathers who, “upon losing themselves in their cause – freedom and justice for Ukraine – found the strength and determination to call the first Congress of Ukrainians in America. Because of their passion and perseverance, they were able to gather all Ukrainian American organizations in our nation’s capital and establish the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America.”
Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, H.E. Oleh Shamshur, congratulated the UCCA and expressed his heartfelt appreciation for the years of cooperation with the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America during his tenure in Washington, DC. The ambassador also presented the UCCA with an official greeting from Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Kostiantyn Gryschenko, which in part reads: “I congratulate you from my heart on the memorable jubilee – the 70th anniversary of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, one of the most respectable and influential organizations uniting Ukrainian abroad…We recall with gratitude the unwavering support rendered by the UCCA for the nation-building process in Ukraine, your valued advice and active stance in defending Ukraine’s interests in international affairs, as well as your tangible input into the development of U.S.-Ukraine strategic partnership.”
Members of Congress joined in the celebration with accolades for the work and service of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), a member of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus and longtime friend of the Ukrainian community in the greater Cleveland area, congratulated the UCCA on its 70 years of service to the Ukrainian community and read remarks submitted earlier that day on the floor of the House of Representatives. The statement reads in part: “Throughout the Cold War, the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America spoke out against human rights violations and advocated for the liberation of Ukrainian political prisoners in the former USSR. The grassroots efforts of the UCCA continue to focus on encouraging members of Congress to support the process of democratic development in Ukraine and to promote the needs and concerns of Ukrainian Americans.”
Other Members of Congress joining the celebration, all members of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, included Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), who spoke of his Ukrainian heritage, his previous trip to Ukraine as a UCCA election observer, and his commitment to enhancing the bilateral relationship between Ukraine and the United States. Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) thanked the UCCA for its active work in Congress and mentioned her close ties to the Ukrainian community in her congressional district. As the co-chair of the Georgian Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, the congresswoman spoke of her recent trip to Ukraine and how both Ukraine and Georgia need the continued support of the United States to solidify their young democracies.
Two of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus co-chairs, Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) and Jim Gerlach (R-PA), expressed their gratitude for the UCCA’s service to the Ukrainian community in advocating its concerns. “We are fortunate to have a close working relationship with the UCCA, in particular its Washington office, in pursuing many projects of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus to forge better relations between us (Congress) and the Ukrainian Parliament and the Ukrainian society,” stated Rep. Kaptur. Rep. Gerlach acknowledged the deep commitment of the UCCA in promoting the rich Ukrainian heritage in the United States and making the plight of Ukraine known in the halls of Congress. Former congressman Don Ritter from Pennsylvania also joined in the celebration and thanked the UCCA and the entire Ukrainian American community for working so closely with him during his years in Congress in the 1980’s through the early 1990’s. Rep. Ritter (ret.) served on the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (the Helsinki Commission) and was the founding chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Baltic States and Ukraine, a precursor of the current Congressional Ukrainian Caucus.
Many special guests were also acknowledged the work of the UCCA and provided remarks during the jubilee celebration on Capitol Hill. Among them was the first U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, the Honorable Roman Popadiuk, who recalled the first days of Ukraine’s renewed independence in 1991. The ambassador was thankful for the support he received from the UCCA as the United States’ first envoy to Ukraine and expressed how vital consultations between the community and the new diplomatic corps to Ukraine were. Ukraine’s second ambassador to Ukraine, the Honorable William Green Miller, also testified to the UCCA’s crucial role in forging relations between the United States and Ukraine. As a longtime supporter of Ukraine, the ambassador stated, “you always have a friend in William and Suzanne [spouse] Miller and you can count on us to remain active participants in our mutual desire to build a strong and vibrant Ukraine.”
A very special acknowledgement during the celebratory fete was reserved for long-time UCCA President the late Dr. Lev Dobriansky, who passed away in January 2008. Michael Sawkiw, Jr. had the honor to introduce the Honorable Paula Dobriansky, former Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs, who spoke on behalf of her mother Julia and sister Larissa, present during the gala celebration. In her very emotional remarks, Ms. Dobriansky mentioned her father’s strong dedication and resolve to bring Ukraine and others enslaved by communism in Central and East Europe into the world community of free and democratic nations. “At times scrutinized for his convictions, he advocated the dissolution of the old Soviet Union and independence for all nations before it was even popular to speak of a free and democratic Ukraine. We now know his resolve was the right road taken,” stated Ms. Dobriansky. A long round of applause for the Dobriansky family followed.
Former UCCA President, and former Ukrainian World Congress President, Askold Lozynskyj, joined in the accolades for Lev Dobriansky. He spoke of UCCA’s role in defending the plight of an enslaved Ukraine during the Cold War era, but also about the current drastic situation in Ukraine how the UCCA is necessary even more today in protecting and preserving Ukraine’s heritage, history, and independence. A closing prayer was offered by Rev. Volodymyr Steliac, pastor of St. Andrew’s Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Washington, DC.
Greetings from various Ukrainian organizations were also submitted to the UCCA in honor of its 70th anniversary: Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A.; Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stamford; Ukrainian Catholic Diocese of St. Josaphat in Parma; Bishop Emeritus of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stamford Basil Losten; Ukrainian World Congress; the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America; Organization for Defense of Four Freedoms in Ukraine; United Ukrainian American Relief Committee; The Providence Association; the Organization for Defense of Lemko Western Ukraine, and, the New Wave Ukrainian organization.
Since its founding in 1940, the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America has been at the forefront of issues representing the concerns of Americans of Ukrainian descent and holds as its heritage the formation of the Educational Council, known for its vibrant Ukrainian Saturday school program; its Washington public affairs office – Ukrainian National information Service (UNIS); the publication of The Ukrainian Quarterly; major congressional initiatives in Washington including Captive Nations Week, the building of the Taras Shevchenko monument and spearheading the erection of the Ukrainian Genocide Memorial to the victims of the Holodomor; and, countless initiatives for humanitarian and educational assistance to Ukraine both before and after its renewed independence.
Please visit the UCCA website at http://www.ucca.org and click on the “70th Anniversary” tab for more highlights and photographs from the gala reception, including a link to a Voice of America report about the evening’s celebration in Washington, DC, and also to inquire about future events planned during this jubilee year.
May 25, 2010
