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Vo l. XXXIII February 1976 No. 2 BOHDAN Y. CYMBALISTY UNWLA AND THE CHALLENGE OF OUR TIMES Editor Marta Baczynsky Inviting a man to speak at the anniversary celebration of a women's organization is an act of courage. Nowadays, we hear so much about women's liberation, male chauvinism, the battle of the sexes and the rights of minorities, including those of women. The Ukrainian National Women's League of America, Inc. nevertheless invited a man to be a speaker at its 50th anniversary banquet, thus showing not only how self- confident and sure UNWLA is about its place in our community and history, but also how little it has been affected by extremist and transient movements. As an observer of, and participant in, the life of our Ukrainian community, I have always admired the work of UNWLA. It is no exageration to say that UNWLA—the most constructive force in our community—should serve as an example to others for its unity, efficiency in work and responsiveness to the problem of our changing times. UNWLA's 50-year-long existence during such a stormy period of history is, in and of itself, an accomplishment. The League is the only Ukrainian civic organization which survived despite the disruptions caused by the war and by the influx of thousands of new immigrants. Other organizations succumbed to the shift of generations of immigrants and, today, we hardly remember their names. UNWLA has not only continued to exist, but has also developed and enriched itself. The seed which was planted fifty years ago had to be very strong and re sistant to all adverse conditions. Perhaps the desire to preserve and to nurture life is an inherent characteristic of woman's psychology. One can easily see that the scope of UNWLA's activities encompasses the most important aspects of community life. Permit me to evaluate these activities within the context of our Zeitgeist and the situation of our society. During the last decade we have all grown more aware of woman's position in the modern world. The process of redefining the roles of both sexes may, in a society denying its own womanhood, lead to extremes: women competing with men for male roles and positions. True equality can only mean the right to be free to preserve one's own identity and unique creativity. This uniqueness should offset what Erik H. Erickson has called the one-sidedness of our civilization: that is, the domination by the rational and technical minds of men, which threatens to make us slaves of our own tech nology. Other elements must be brought into our civil ization, those which are associated with women: nursing, nourishing, caring, tolerance, beauty and love. UNWLA—sensitive as it is to the needs of children, the elderly and the victims of catastrophic events—brings humanitarianism, charity and love to our small world and, thus, humanizes it, even if only in a restricted area. Within the context of the assertion of women's leg itimate rights, Ukrainian women can be proud of their tradition. Women in Ukrainian society have always held prominent and respected positions. To mention but one significant example, 17 women were members of our first parliament, Central Rada, created in 1917—the first year of the Revolution. Ukrainian immigrants brought this tradition to the American shore. Alexis de Tocqueville—French statesman and writer, who visited this country almost 150 years ago—has left us one of the best descriptions of the American system of democracy. He indicated that one of the greatest sources of strength of the American system was the active citizenry: "Whenever at the head of some new undertaking you see the government in France, or a man of rank in England, in the United States you will be sure to find an association." De Tocqueville notes that through voluntary activity in all kinds of associations Americans were able to promote new ideas and to build schools, hospitals and churches. He admired this part icipation of the citizen: "Feelings and opinions are recruited, the heart is enlarged and the human mind is developed, only by the reciprocal influence of men upon each other." The French statesman even formulated a "law [which] rules human society, namely; ...if men are to remain civilized or to become so, the art of associating together must grow and improve in the same ratio in which the equality of conditions is increased." Arriving in the United States, Ukrainian immigrants found the most favorable conditions to develop their own associations.
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