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SO YOU'RE NOT UKRAINIAN: Why Not Join the Ukrainian Women's League of America Anyway? by Natalie M ason Gawdiak If someone has given you this article to read, it may be that you are the non-Ukrainian spouse of a “mixed” marriage. Chances are, it has probably been shown to you by someone who would like you to become closer to the Ukrainian community and, in fact, getting closer to the Ukrainian community, either in the United States or in Ukraine, is certainly one good reason for joining the UNWLA. “Why should I want to become closer to the Ukrainian community in either country?” you may ask. As an American of Irish descent married to a Ukrainian who came to the U.S. at age 14, I have grown close to many Ukrainians both here and aboard, and I believe other non-Ukrainians may learn to share some of my perspectives. Surely married life goes better with a shared outlook. If one’s spouse (fiance, partner) is Ukrainian, chances are that person would like to share his or her appreciation for Ukraine or at least some aspects of its culture. Broadening one’s cultural horizons is thus another reason to join the UNWLA. One hears in the United States that this country is a great “melting pot,” but who wants to melt? I think the metaphor of a mosaic is more accurate and de sirable. If you stand back, a mosaic shows a com plete picture, but if you get close up, you see the diversity inherent in the design. Coming to know Ukrainian culture more in depth has made me feel like a child being let loose in a candy store: Ukrainian cultural and folk traditions are so intricate and rich, and I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to observe and participate in them. Joining the UNWLA brings women closer to this richness and allows them more easily to pass along this cultural heritage to their children. Whether or not those children are 100% Ukrainian is simply irrelevant. Another reason to join the UNWLA is intellectual and educational. My 90-year mother-in- law, who has lived with us since 1969, joined the UNWLA in the 1950s, not long after arriving in the United States. Our not-very-large townhouse is the repository of several decades’ worth of Our Life magazine, but neither she nor I can bear to throw them out! Even before I could read Ukrainian well (I learned mostly from my mother-in-law), I cherished the embroidery patterns and English language articles, and was intrigued enough on occasion to ask my husband or mother-in-law to share the gist of certain Ukrainian-language articles with me. Our Life is just one of many interesting and educational publications that the UNWLA has produced over the years. Although I just recently officially became a member of the UNWLA myself, I have admired this organization’s cultural and educational achieve ments for a long time. But the UNWLA’s charitable work is an even more compelling reason to join. As we all know, there are many, many pleas from all kinds of charitable organizations in the United States and abroad calling for our support. Very few Americans know anything about the situation of the needy in Ukraine or that the UNWLA, which is a non-profit organization, has been a faithful supplier of humanitarian and medical aid to Ukraine, of aid to orphaned children, of supplemen tary food programs for primary school students, and of health-care summer camps for underprivileged children. One of the UNWLA's crowning achieve ments that combines its cultural and charitable spheres of influence has been establishing the Ukrainian Museum in New York City. The museum was recently moved to a brand new beautiful building at 222 East 6th Street; its stunning col lections include Ukrainian fine art and folk art. The museum is a monument to Ukraine's cultural heri tage and is a must-see tourist destination for anyone visiting Manhattan (www.ukrainianmuseum.org). As you might imagine, upkeep in New York City is a costly undertaking. The UNWLA continues to be a major supporter of the museum, and several branches around the country hold fundraisers to ward this end. Social responsibility on an international scale is yet another good reason to join. By support- 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.
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