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The women of UNWLA Branch 75 gathered in a Zoom call on Friday evening, February 5, 2021, to honor their sister-Soyuzianka Roma Hadze - wycz, recognize her accomplishments as E ditor-in-Chief of the Ukrainian National Association (UNA) publica - tions The Ukrainian Weekly and Sv o- boda , and celebrate her 43 years as a c areer journalist. Roma first joined the UNWLA almost 40 years ago and has been an active member of our branch for much of that time. Branch President Irena Sawchyn in - troduced the guest of honor with a b rief reading of Roma’s CV, not - ing that Roma’s leadership allowed The W eekly and Svoboda to be the communications platforms that sup - ported the Ukrainian diaspora and Ukrain e throughout the world – an achievement best summarized in the powerful words of the Order of Princess Olha (third degree) award - ed to Roma in 2015: “ For contribu- tions to strengthening the interna- tional authority of Ukraine. ” R oma shared highlights and mem - orable moments from her career. Fr om its inception in 1933, when it informed the world about the trag - edies of the Holodomor, The W eek- ly has been reporting news about Ukrain e and Ukrainian affairs to the world’s English-speaking public that was not covered by any other source. For example, reports in The “SALUTE TO OUR ROMA” HOSTED BY BRANCH 75 Irena Sawchyn , President, Branch 75, Maplewood, NJ During a discussion of language issues, Roma shows the reference dictionary that was always by her side during her tenure as Editor-in-Chief of The Weekly and Svoboda . Weekly were instrumental in influencing the creation of the US Commis - sion on the Ukraine Famine. One of Roma’s major accomplishments was having The Weekly open an officially accredited press bureau in Kyiv in 1991, the first foreign newspa - per to do so. This allowed The Weekly and Svoboda to provide first-hand coverage about events in Ukraine, reporting on Rukh, the re-establish - ment of Ukraine’s independence, the Orange Revolution, the Maidan, an d other major h istorical events. On the lighter side, The Weekly ran an exclusive about the actor behind the title character in the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial – he was actually Pat Bilon, a Ukrainian gentleman from Ohio whom Roma enjoyed meeting. Roma stressed that the papers need the Ukrainian community’s support to survive. She graciously thanked all her editorial and production staff - ers, as well as the UNA for its longstanding support of the publications. Roma’ s talk was warmly received by all. In the discussion that followed, Roma expanded on The Weekly ’s role in publishing the first story about the existence of the Gareth Jones diaries documenting the Holodomor. Roma and Irene Jarosewich recognized the historical importance of the diaries when they were shown the original writings by Jones’s family, who visited the UNA offices in 2003 with Russ and Karen Chelak. The evening continued with a Weekly/Svoboda Trivia Game conducted by Christine Syzonenko. Nusia Denysyk, Marusia Flynn, and Christine thanked Roma for her collaboration and professionalism. Coincidental - ly, our branch includes the mother and mother-in-law of the current Edit or-in-Chief of The Weekly , Andrew Nynka (Nadia Nynka and Irena Sawchyn) and the mother of editor Matthew Dubas (Sonia Dubas). Irena concluded the evening after Roma received a bouquet of flowers, her favorite wine, and a very noisy “Mnohaya Lita” sung by all. We wish Roma much health and many adventures in her retirement and convey our deep appreciation for her life-long friendship and contributions. irene.sawchyn@gmail.com Our Life | Наше життя March | Березень 2021 7 Branch 75 members at "Salute to Our Roma" (who is seen in the third row, second from right). BRANCH NEWS Photo: Christine Syzonenko Photo: Nina Wedmid
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