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НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ • Червень-Липень 2026 5 A Century of Diaspora Leadership: The Ukrainian National Women’s League of America as a Civic Institution Good afternoon, and thank you for the invitation to participate in this conference. I am honored to join this discussion in Section 4, focusing on the Ukrain - ian diaspora in the countries of the Americas. I would like to begin with a simple question: What allows a diaspora organization to remain rel - evant — not for a decade, but for a century? The Ukrainian National Women’s League of America, or UNWLA, was founded in 1925. As we approach our 101st year, we are not simply reflect - ing on longevity — we are asking, What sustains relevance across generations? This presentation draws on scholarship on dias - pora institutions and transnational advocacy net - works, which emphasizes how diaspora organiza - tions evolve into enduring civic actors — preserving identity, delivering services, and shaping policy across borders. By definition, a civic institution “is an organ - ized, enduring body that serves the public good by connecting people, resources, and shared values through structured, ongoing activity.” But in the Ukrainian case, there is an additional dimension that must be understood. Organizations like UNWLA did not emerge simply to serve a community — they emerged out of his - torical necessity. For much of the twentieth centu - ry, Ukraine did not exist as an independent state. Its identity was suppressed, reshaped, and at times deliberately erased within the Soviet system. In that context, diaspora institutions became bearers of national identity. Their work was not only cultural — it was existential. They preserved language, memory, and historical truth in environ - ments where these could be freely expressed, so that they could endure beyond repression. And in many ways, that role has returned today. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, questions of identity, memory, and representation have once again become central. The continuity of diaspora institutions has al - lowed them to respond not only with resources and advocacy, but with a sustained sense of pur - pose rooted in this longer historical experience. From its founding, UNWLA focused on preserv - ing Ukrainian language, culture, and identity in the United States. But this was never passive. It was intentional. Through education, cultural program - ming, and a monthly magazine that is in its 81st year, our organization ensured that identity could be transmitted across generations — even when it was under threat in Ukraine itself. However, I would submit that the defining di - mension of UNWLA’s work is advocacy. Since its founding, the organization has func - tioned as a form of civic representation for Ukraine — long before Ukraine could speak for it - self as a sovereign nation. In this sense, UNWLA has functioned as a form of civilian diplomacy, op - erating alongside — and at times in the absence of — formal state representation. In the 1930s, its members documented and pub - licized the Holodomor when the truth was sup - pressed. During the Cold War, they supported po - litical prisoners, organized educational campaigns, and countered disinformation. After Ukraine’s in - dependence, this role evolved into partnership — supporting education, cultural exchange, and inter - national recognition. And since 2022, advocacy has once again become central. UNWLA members across the United States have engaged in coordinated efforts, meeting with elected officials, organizing public awareness cam - paigns, and participating in national coalitions. As a founding member of the American Coalition for Ukraine, the organization helps lead the Ukraine Action Summit in Washington, D.C., bringing hundreds of ad - vocates — Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian — to engage directly with policymakers twice annually since 2023. Through these efforts, diaspora institutions trans - late identity into influence. Alongside this work, UNWLA has maintained long-standing humanitarian and educational pro - grams. Its scholarship initiative, established in 1967 and expanded to Ukraine in 1993, has sup - ported more than 23,000 students. Programs such as support for nearly 10,000 elderly women in Ukraine reflect a sustained commitment to social responsibility across borders. Finally, endurance requires structure. UNWLA is not simply a network — it is an institu - tion. With local branches, national leadership, and a strong tradition of volunteerism, it has maintained continuity while adapting to new challenges. Be - cause institutions do not endure on history alone — they endure because they renew themselves. What does this case suggest more broadly? Diaspora organizations are often described as cultural communities. But in reality, the most ef - fective ones function as civic institutions — and, in some cases, as guardians of national continuity. For Ukraine, diaspora institutions have never been peripheral. They have been essential. When a na - tion cannot fully speak for itself, its diaspora must. And as Ukraine continues to face profound chal - lenges, the role of these institutions remains not only relevant — but necessary. And gatherings like this remind us that Ukraine was never alone — that across decades, its voice, its identity, and its future were carried and preserved by its people, wherever they were. Thank you.
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