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16 OUR LIFE • May-June 2025 The UNWLA Archives: A Rich Documentary Legacy The UNWLA’s centennial celebration highlights the immense value of the or - ganization’s archives. Historically, Ukrain - ian women’s organizations lacked doc - umentation prior to the 20th century. Fortunately, the founders of the UNWLA carefully preserved records of their work, ensuring a rich documentary legacy. The earliest appeal for archival pres - ervation came from Olena Lototska, Honorary President of the UNWLA, who urged care for the archives in her 1949 testament. Although calls for a dedicat - ed archivist arose in 1987, a formal Ar - chival Committee was not established until 1999; it was led by Olha Trytyak, who had already begun organizing doc - uments in 1993. Orysia Sorok a, UNWLA National Archives Chair Голова СУА Іванна Рожанковська з Президентом США Джимі Картером (1977—1981) у Вашінґтоні. UNWLA president Ivanna Rozhankowska meets President Jimmy Carter (1977–1981). A partnership with the Immigration History Research Center (IHRC) at the University of Minnesota enabled a major preser - vation effort. Under Olha Trytyak's leadership, nearly 300 box - es of archives were reviewed and organized; by 2009, 60 boxes from the UNWLA Executive Board and 33 more from Regional Councils, branches, and the Scholarship program were trans - ferred to the IHRC. The materials include meeting minutes, correspondence, reports, and advocacy work — some dating back to the 1930s famine in Ukraine (Holodomor) and efforts to engage American political leaders on key issues. The archives also document the UNWLA’s significant hu - manitarian contributions, including aid during the Polish paci - fication, Dniester floods, World War II displacement, and the Chornobyl disaster. A valuable part of the collection contains biographies of prominent Ukrainian women and press clip - pings of the women’s movement, initiated by members like Theodosia Savytska and others since the 1970s. Olha Trytyak represented the UNWLA at archival conferenc - es, where the organization’s late start in archival work was noted, although its dedication was praised. Archival docu - ments even helped correct historical oversights, such as the UNWLA’s contributions to the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago. Beginning in 2011, Olha Drozdovych continued the archival mission, sorting important documents and guiding branch - es in proper preservation. Her successor, Iryna Buchkovska, adapted archival processes during the COVID-19 era using Zoom and encouraged electronic commemoration efforts. Since 2023, Orysia Soroka has led the archival program, modernizing operations by digitizing records and introducing Google Drive for document storage. The UNWLA’s current ar - chival goals include: 1. Creating and disseminating archival instructions. 2. Digitizing the records of Honorary Presidents. 3. Organizing and scanning key national archives. 4. Developing website content on Ukrainian women’s history. 5. Launching a video oral history project. 6. Collaborating with museums and scholars to promote the UNWLA’s legacy. Major recent projects include digitization of the 1925– 1975 archive in New York City, video interviews with senior members, and a comprehensive English-language finding aid for correspondence with U.S. Presidents, Congress, and international women’s organizations. These efforts ensure that the story of the UNWLA and its impact on Ukrainian and American society are preserved and accessible for fu - ture generations.
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