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“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ЛИПЕНЬ - СЕРПЕНЬ 201 2 WWW. UNWLA.ORG 17 WOMEN IN UKRAINIA N HISTORY MILENA RUDNYTSKA 6.15.1892 – 3.29.1976 This year Ukrainian women’ s organiz a- tions are celebrating the 120th anniversary of the dedicated feminist and founder of the World Union of Ukrainian Women, Milena Rudnytska. Her name went down in the history of the Ukra i- nian national movement as that of a noted activist in the political life of Western Ukraine during the years of Polish occupation. Rudnytska was also universally recognized as one of the visionaries in the women’ s movement and one of its leading a c- tivists in the interwar period. She served as Pres i- dent of the Executive Board of the Ukrainian Women’ s Union from 1928 till 1939, President of the World Union of Ukrainian Women, and Pre s- ident of the wom en’ s political org anization “ The Host of Princess Olga. ” She also served as Amba s- sador of the Ukrainian National Democratic A l- liance to the Polish parliament, where she was actively involved in the work of education and foreign affairs committees. This is only a partial lis t of Rud nyt ska’ s many activities. Having taken part in the November Act and the ensuing Ukrainian - Polish armed struggle for Lviv, during which she, as a woman, was given no other work but cooking for the troops, Rud - nytska realized that there was a great need for a Ukrainian women’ s organization that would give women a chance to engage in political and socie t- al life. After the loss of Ukraine’ s independence in 1921, the magazine Nasha meta ( Our Aim ) printed an article by Rudnytska in which she ar t i- culated her view o f women’ s roles in Galicia ’ s pu b lic life and underscored the urgent need to create an independent women’ s association. This is how Milena Rudnytska became heavily involved in the founding and activi ty of the Ukrainian Women’ s Union. In 1921, she became member of its Main branch. In her introduction to the edited volume Milena Rudnytska: Articles, Memoirs, Documents , the publication of which was spo n- sored by the UNWLA, Dr. Martha Bohachevsky - Chomiak writes: “ Rudnyts ka’ s activism tra n- scend ed the boundaries of just one organization or group and became a significant phenomenon in the political life of Western Ukrainians. Rud - nytska’ s speeches in the international arena made her an important figure nationwide." Milena Rudnytska was born on July 15, 1892, in the town of Zboriv in the Ternopil region. After the death of her father, her family moved to Lviv, and Rudnytska was one of the first girls in Galicia to complete the full course of study at the secondary level. She entered the Ukrainian d e- partment at Lviv University, opened after a pr o- longed struggle of Ukrainians in Galicia for their right to receive higher education in their native tongue. During World War I, she continued her studies in Vienna — at that time a place of exub e- rant cultura l life for Ukrainians: organizat ions such as the student group “ Sich, ” the Union for the Liberation of Ukraine, created by Eastern Ukrain ians, and a very active Women’ s Commi t- tee operated there. In Vienna, Rudnytska met her future husband, attorney and jou rnalist Pavlo L y- siak, but their marriage was short - lived. After the divorce (initiated by her husband), she raised her son alone and never re - married. She then ded i- cated her life to political and public activism. Rudnytska received a secondary school teac hing degree in Philosophy and Mathematics, followed by another degree in pedagogy and d i- dactics. She earned her living by teaching, eve n- tually becoming a Professor at the High Pedagog i- cal Institute in Lviv. Milena Rudnytska was a true patriot, someone wh o always defended the interests of the Ukrainian natio n, as did the majority of women’ s movement activists at that time. In one of her works, she stated : “ Despite their membership in the party, women would not let themselves be drawn into the thick of part y politics. They did not adhere to the party discipline when it dictated something contrary to their conscience. The women went where reason and national interests told them to go... ” Milena Rudnytska was very active in pol i- tics. Having joined the Ukraini an National and Democratic Alliance (UNDA), which Ivan Franko helped found, Rudnytska represented this party at the Polish parliament (Sejm) for two terms. In her speeches at the sessions of the parliament, she refused to compromise in her defense of the r ights of Ukrainians in the Polish - occupied Wes t- ern Ukraine. When the leadership of her party signed an agreement with the Polish government about cooperation on a number of issues, Ru d- nytska left the party. Although some moderate members of the parliament (unlike their chauv i- nistic Polish colleagues who were in the majority) made an attempt to cooperate with the represen t- atives of national minorities, Rud nytska did not see in their “ normalization ” efforts a firm guara n-
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