Skip to content
Call Us Today! 212-533-4646 | MON-FRI 12PM - 4PM (EST)
DONATE
SUBSCRIBE
Search for:
About Us
UNWLA 100
Publications
FAQ
Annual Report 2023
Annual Report 2022
Annual Report 2021
Initiatives
Advocate
Educate
Cultivate
Care
News
Newsletters
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Join UNWLA
Become a Member
Volunteer With Us
Donate to UNWLA
Members Portal
Calendar
Shop to Support Ukraine
Search for:
Print
Print Page
Download
Download Page
Download Right Page
Open
1
2-3
4-5
6-7
8-9
10-11
12-13
14-15
16-17
18-19
20-21
22-23
24-25
26-27
28-29
30-31
32-33
34-35
36-37
38-39
40
“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ЛЮТИЙ 2018 WWW. UNWLA .ORG 11 I n January, in my capacity as president of the UN- WLA, I received an invitation from Oreslava Kho- myk, president of the Ukrainian Women’s Union of Ukraine (Soyuz Ukrainok Ukrainy / SUU), re- que sting that I join the committee planning the celebration of SUU’s 100 th anniversary! The organ- ization h ad already submitted a resolution (dated October 5, 2017) to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Parliament). In response, the Verkhovna Rada amended its original “ Celebration of Memorable Days and Anniversaries in 2017” to include and recognize th e 100 th anniversary of SUU on the state level, and this was accepted. The next step would be for the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to ap- prove the or ganizing committee and to plan events to mark this SUU anniversary . I accepted Ms. Kho- myk’s invitation on behalf of the UNWLA w ithout hesitation and am awaiting further instructions. According to SUU’s Ukrainian - language website, the organization originally known as “Zhi- nocha Hromada” was renamed the “Union of Ukrainian Women” in 1917. Headquartered in Lviv, the organization was restructured and grew, and soon numbered more than 60 bra nches. In 1921, the organization’s congress gathered and adopted a charter (by - laws). The rest of the para- graph on this website states that “the activity of the Union was banned twice: the first time on Febru- ary 17, 1929, for fundraising in support of the Com- mittee for the Assistance to Political Prisoners. The organization was accused of political activity, which was not supported by its charter. The second ban was announced on May 5, 1938, when the Polish authorities shut down the activities of the organi zation. SUU was “reborn” in Lviv in 1989, and in 1991, the “All - Ukrainian Union of Ukrainian Women” was formed. On October 1, 2017, the press service of the Lviv regional state administration wrote about the gathering of SUU members in Lviv and its solemn procession through the central streets of the city where participants later prayed before the statue of the Blessed Virgin. Zoryana Bilyk, the president of the Lviv regional chapter of SUU, underscored that SUU’s membership had kept the traditions of the Ukrainian women’s movement alive but that many responsibilities still lie ahead. Oleh Syniutka, gov- ernor of the Lviv region (oblast), presented awards to a few of the most active members, and thanked those SUU members for “raising true, patriotic Ukrainian s, heroes who are now protecting their native land thousands of kilometers from Lviv.” He continued, “You have paid a great price! I wish you continued fruitful work, with one heart, for the benefit of our beloved, native and prosperous Ukraine.” Reading t his article, I was taken back to August 20, 2011, when several UNWLA Board members and I participated in such a walk in Lviv in celebration of SUU’s 90th anniversary. Buses from the various regions arrived, filled with proud and enthusiastic members clad i n traditional garb from their regions. A parade along Prospekt Svo- body was followed by a gala concert at the Lviv Opera House. One intriguing question about the 100 th anniversary is why it is being celebrated officially in 2017 when 2011 was the year desi gnated as the organization’s 90th anniversary. Was the official birth of the organization in 1917 or 1921? After leaf- ing through various sources, I found that the des- ignation of the exact year remains a question even in the opinion of scholars who are fami liar with the organization and its history. As Dr. Marta Boha- chevsky - Chomiak, for example, writes in Femi- nists Despite Themselves , “The story is not too clear. The Union, which dated its existence to 1917, although it had existed as an organization only si nce 1921 .....” (p. 256). Regardss of the precise year, these are his- toric landmarks le for SUU but also for the UN- WLA. As I had stated in my speech on the stage of the Lviv Opera House in 2011, “the seed was sown — the bond of sisterhood was set” when UN- WLA w as formed in the United States in 1925, when we became the voice of our sisters in Ukraine. On that same afternoon in August of 2011 we were asked by a reporter “why we as American women would still be inspired to work with Ukraine and also to salvage and nurture the Ukrainian culture and heritage.” So much has transpired since 2011, and the UNWLA has again and again demonstrated the an- swer to that reporter’s question — by its actions. Our membership has supported Ukraine through the Maidan and the continuing war, through aid to families of the fallen, through its ongoing social welfare programs, etc. But it has also created a re- sounding support for the Ukrainian women’s movement that began more than a century ago — through the Women’s Studies Lectureship (and n ow Center) at the Ukrainian Catholic University.
Page load link
Go to Top
1 
2-3 
4-5 
6-7 
8-9 
10-11 
12-13 
14-15 
16-17 
18-19 
20-21 
22-23 
24-25 
26-27 
28-29 
30-31 
32-33 
34-35 
36-37 
38-39 
40 
