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18 WWW. UNWLA.ORG “НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, БЕРЕЗЕНЬ 2014 As we commemorate the 200th annive r- sary of the birth of Taras Shevchenko, “ Champion o f the Ukrainian language, self-determination of peoples, human rights and social justice, ”(title of an event held at the United Nations on Feb 27th, 2014, and organized by the Ukrainian World Co n- gress and the World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations with the support of the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN), the diaspora continues to support the Ukrainian pe o- ple in their search for their own “ self- determination, human rights and social justice .” How ironic that Ukraine’s struggle has carried over into the “Year of Shevchenko”! The unfort u- nate three-month standoff has galvanized Ukrai n- ian-American communities to band together in a strong show of support, as I reviewed in the Fe b- ruary issue of Our Life . During the past month, UNWLA suppor t- ers have continued to generously contribute to our humanitarian aid effort to Ukraine. Our membership, usually led by calls from our 4th Vice President of Public Relations, continued to appeal to their local politicians, their U.S. Sen a- tors, and their congressmen to endorse resol u- tions in support of the protesters. In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, January 28th, President Obama stated that “ [i]n Ukraine, we stand for the principle that all people have the right to express themselves freely and peacefully and to have a say in their country’s future.” An aggressive e -mail and T wi t- ter campaign preceded the address and likely had some impact on its content. U.S. House Resolution 447 passed by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 381-2 on Febr u- ary 10th, “supporting the democratic and Europ e- an aspirations of the people of Ukraine and their right to choose their own future free of intimid a- tion and fear” (opening statement of the resol u- tion). Again, our membership was instrumental in contacting their representatives to encourage them to sponsor this resolution. (The Senate ve r- sion of this bill passed on January 7th.) I was personally involved in a successful meeting with Congressman Chris Gibson (R) from the 19th Legislative District of New York State on January 23, 2014, in Ellenville, NY. Taking the initiative to contact the office of the congressman, I invited to the meeting many members of the community. The group included the parish priest of the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Kerhonkson, members of the church, a UNWLA member, as well as members of the Ukrainian American Youth Association and Plast . Congressman Gibson was familiar with the situ a- tion in Ukraine and had recently signed a bipart i- san letter to President Obama in support of the Ukrainian people and calling for action. During our meeting, the congressman immediately called his staff and instructed them to put his name on the House Resolution 447 ─ as co-sponsor. This grassroots meeting was bipartisan and included all available community organizations. UNWLA President Marianna Zajac and Congressman Chris Gibson. On February 7th, a group of community organization leaders (including myself) were i n- vited to an “off -the- record” meeting with a high- level White House representative. Again, it was only after continuous lobbying and using all available contacts that such a high-level visit would be granted. The topic of the ensuing di s- cussion was predictable. The ultimate outcome in Ukraine, however, is yet to be determined. The democratic system works in the Uni t- ed States. If each of us actively participates in that system by working with our representatives and by voting, the “system” listens to us. Our positions count. As the Executive Board diligently works on the planning and preparation for our XXX Convention, we remember the countless times our membership has acted as the voice of Ukraine in the United States. And we continue to do so...
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