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“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ГРУДЕНЬ 201 3 WWW. UNWLA.ORG 15 THE UNWLA’S EFFORTS TO BRING RELIEF AND RAISE AWARENESS DURING AND AFTER THE GREAT FAMINE OF 1932 - 33 Conference: Taking Measure of the Holodomor , Nov. 5 - 6, 2013 Presentation by UNWLA President Marianna Zajac at the Patrons and Speakers Reception, “Tribute to the Pioneers of Holodomor Awareness,” at the Ukrainian Museum Good evening! It is an honor to be able to speak before such a distinguished audience and share the history of the Ukrainian National Wo m- en’s League of America during the Great Famine of 1932 - 33. I would like to congratulate both the organizers and the participants of this historic Conference for their dedication in keeping this tragic period in the history of the Ukrainian pe o- ple in the forefront during this, the 80th year of its commemoration. It was in May of 1925 that the Intern a- tional Council of Women (ICW) was holding its Congress in Washington, D.C. Although this meeting generated enthusiasm and pride in the Ukrainian American delegation, it quickly brought home the fact that Ukraine would not be granted a seat at the ICW because it had lost its independence. The Ukrainian women in the Uni t- ed States then clear ly understood that they had to take an active part in the world community of women and thus represent the Ukrainian women of their mother country. This event gave the Ukrainian women in the United States the imp e- tus to unite into a single organization — whic h they did at the end of May in 1925 — and the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America became the voice of the Ukrainian woman in Ukraine. While most U . S . women’s organizations were focusing on women’s rights, the main focus of our organ i- zation, the UNW LA, was Ukraine . In the early 1930s the UNWLA was a young organizatio n, evolving and fi nding its role in the Ukrainian - A merican community , as its member s , together with all Americans, were r e- cover ing from the effects of the Great Depression. W hen the horr ific news of the Famine crossed the ocean and struck all Ukrainian Americans, it was predictable that the UNWLA would react and e n- gag e its membership into action — but the speed and the efficiency of its work can only be deemed impressive and invaluable! It is noteworthy to mention here that in August 1933 the women in western Ukraine — who were organized in the League of Ukrainian Wo m- en in L’viv under the direction of the renowned civic and political activist, and a deputy to the Polish Sejm , Milena Rudnytska — turned to inte r- national women’s organ izations with the facts of the F amine. Under the leadership of M. Rud - nytska, an active propaganda campaign was ca r- ried out among organizations in London, Geneva, and Paris. As a result of their efforts, ten intern a- tional women’s or ganizations banded together and sent their own memoranda on the issue of the Holodomor to the head of the League of Nations Council. Armed with the women’s petition, Pres i- dent Mowinckel of the League convened a closed session of the League of Nati ons on the issue of the Famine. Although participating countries felt that the matter was an internal one, an important and direct result of this effort was that the Pres i- dent of the League of Nations did give an exte n- sive interview to the French n ewspaper Le Matin — and the newspaper saw this interview as proof that the League recognized the “reality” of the Fa mine. Unfortunately, this important achieve ment was followed by many setbacks. Nonetheless, the women of Ukraine made heroic efforts to get the news of the famine to the outside world. Milena Rudnytska’s written appeal to “women of all nations, countries, and continents, all classes, parties and faiths (confessions)” was reprinted in the October 1933 issue of Zhinocha Dolia , a women’s journa l published in Kolomyia, Ukraine, and landed in New York in November 1933. As s he wrote in the article, “[a]t a time of unimaginable grief, when Ukrainians in the Ukrainian Social Republic are enduring an u n- precedented situation, we, the Ukrainian women of Galicia, are turning to you, our sisters of the World, for support and help!” The extensive archives of the UNWLA demonstrate that the organization reacted quickly and with much determination to this plea. The UNWLA lead a full - fledged writing campaign to
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