Skip to content
Call Us Today! 212-533-4646 | MON-FRI 12PM - 4PM (EST)
DONATE
SUBSCRIBE
Search for:
About Us
UNWLA 100
Publications
FAQ
Annual Report 2023
Annual Report 2022
Annual Report 2021
Initiatives
Advocate
Educate
Cultivate
Care
News
Newsletters
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Join UNWLA
Become a Member
Volunteer With Us
Donate to UNWLA
Members Portal
Calendar
Shop to Support Ukraine
Search for:
Print
Print Page
Download
Download Page
Download Right Page
Open
1
2-3
4-5
6-7
8-9
10-11
12
Cultivating and Modernizing Ukrainian Culture By Mildred Milanowicz (Address delivered at the 10th Convention of UYL-NA held over the past Labor Day weekend at Hotel Benjamin Franklin, Philadelphia) Your presence here today pre sages wonderful days ahead for Americans of Ukrainian descent. By your presence here you give open acknowledgement to the fact that one purpose of the Uk rainian Youth’s League of North America, which is to foster and cultivate 'Ukrainian culture here in America, ha^s your approval, your backing. By your presence you show that Ukrainian culture will be preserved, at least in this free country of ours. Because you, the young people and the older young people of today, are better equipped to carry on the cultural traditions of our fore fathers to higher and more bril liant heights. You today repre sent an age vastly different from the one to which our immigrant fathers and grandfathers belong ed from a quarter to a half-cen tury ago. Then, plagued by un familiarity with the spoken lan guage of the country, by econo mic instability, lack of education, technical skill, by poor means of contact, plagued by dissension,— they still showed their good American citizen material, by pitching right in, utilizing their pioneer resourcefulness to build themselves a good life and to preserve their cultural traditions for themselves and their children. Because of them, today we go to our own churches, our national homes, or club houses, we sing in fine choirs, give concerts, present our dances, plays, exhibits, we read our own newspapers and books, enjoy protection in million aire fraternal orders, belong to cultural organizations, attend fine educational schools and colleges. We enjoy these things no matter what walk of life we have reach ed. All of these are the result of the endeavors of our handicapped immigrant fathers. Now it is your turn to make your mark. With your better education, your technical skills, developed talents, your better economic status, better contacts with sources of information and reference, like newspapers, radio, movies,. travel — you have de veloped a broader outlook on things, have a newer, higher sense of values, you use a finer guage in measuring things, in short, from you, we can expect wonderful things. Simpler Today It is much simpler for you to day. You have a good record back of you, from past achievement established by your parents and even by you. By this time, Amer icans know Ukraine and Ukrain ians fairly well. They are ac quainted with our culture from admiring" our music and dance performances at several World’s Fairs, from listening to concerts over the radio. They know of the high standing of our various in stitutions, such as churches, schools, Leagues and fraternal orders. Statesmen, too, have be come acquainted, through the work of our Congress Committee, the Relief Committee, through various publications in English by our cultural committees, about Ukraine’s history and her aspirations to freedom. Finally, they could not help but learn of Ukraine from listening to the ra dio during the past war, when they heard how the First and Se cond and Third Ukrainian Armies were throwing their weight around the battlefields of Eastern Europe, making it count in the scales of victory for the Allies. Yes, your job will be much sim pler — the odds are all on your side. But your. work in the days ahead won’t be easy. You won’t mind that, being descended from people who enjoy work and its accomplishments. Your task now, is to take stock of what you have and go on from there. Right now, circumstances seem to have made this period mark a new beginning. The war, having forced us to curtail most of our Ukrainian cultural activi ties, has also given us this op portunity to make a new begin ning. Some of you, fortunate in belonging to progressive commu nities, have already taken over the reins in your local clubs, your national homes, your churcft com mittees. You are already thinking of your recent successes with youth concerts, dances, new bu siness methods in running your organizations. Most of you came here to have the opportunity to show what are your methods of work. Some of you know that you need fresh ideas, methods of improvement, ideas of moderniz ing. All of you, I feel sure, although you have been enriched by Uk rainian culture as handed down by our fathers, here, feel that it needs more clarification, revital izing, modernizing. We all seem to have a feeling of staleness in our taste of Ukrainian culture, and some have decided to do something about it. That is good. So you came here today. Look ing at our modest little Ukrainian Art Exhibit, you are no doubt pleased to find that our Ukrain ian culture has been developing all the time, up to present. You find that all we need is the op portunity like this, to exchange thoughts and ideas, to find out that we have modern art, modern music, modern folk art in our Ukrainian culture too. Today you can take home books on Ukraine and Ukrainians. You can go home to your choirs, your dance groups, your arts clubs and see them through new eyes, detect more easily the changes that can and should be made. Learning Ukrainian But if we are to make plans here to help you put these chang es into effect when you go home, we may as well be honest at the outset and admit that we, like our first immigrants, need to overcome a handicap before mak ing these changes and improve ments. We too, like our first im migrants, are handicapped by the language problem. Whereas our fathers had to learn English, we, the newest generation of Ukrain ian Americans must learn Uk rainian. We are forced to do this, because even those who are con versationally familiar with the language, will find, on catching up with our present day culture, that the Ukrainian language has made such great developments in recent years that it is almost un intelligible to us now. The form which we learned in this coun try seems almost primitive com pared to the form used in the pre sent-day publications emanating from European sources. We shall have to admit too, that too many of our young peo ple do not understand the Uk rainian language at all, which ex plains their hesitancy or their in ability to join our youth activi ties. It would be a national crime (Continued on page 7) I THE ACTIVITIES OF THE UKRAINIAN JUNIOR LEAGUE Akron, Ohio With the installation of new of ficers, the Ukrainian Junior League of Akron, Ohio, Branch 51 of the Ukrainian National Women s League of America, opened its activity for the 1947- 48 season. The retiring president, Miss Sophie Kudera presented the new president, Mrs. Ann Zepko Mc Gowan ,the secretary, Miss Mary Kowalik and the treasurer, Miss Theresa Taras. The Akron Junior League has grown considerably since its or ganization in February, 1946. Its present membership numbers 40 with plans under way for another membership drive. The organiza tion has been very active in American-Ukrainian life. A Par ent s Day program given several months ago remains the chief to pic of conversation among the older generation. Entitled “Half na Piv” and written and produced by th Junior League members, the program mixed with Ukrain ian and English languages to an unrecognizable but very enjoy able state. Folk dancing, choral singing and the distribution of gifts to all parents present round ed out the program. A member of the Ukrainian Youth’s League of North Ameri ca, the Junior League is planning to combine its efforts with the U.N>A. 180 Youth Branch of Ak ron, in sponsoring a card party. The entire proceeds of this af fair shall be donated to the fund currently being established by the Youth League to aid the dis placed persons in Europe. The program planned for the coming year includes the contin uation of reports on Ukrainian history. After listening to a re port on one period of Ukrainian history, the members engage in a lively and interesting discus sion. The Junior League transfered its headquarters from the Y. W. C. A. to the newly organized In ternational Center where meet ings are held the third Wednes day of each month. The League will welcome any American-Uk rainian girls interested in joining. Genevieve J. Zepko. Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no hap piness without action. Disraeli. Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
Page load link
Go to Top
1 
2-3 
4-5 
6-7 
8-9 
10-11 
12 
