Solemn Procession in Memoriam of Forced Famine

By Maria Lewytzkyj

New York – On the tail of the 20^th century and onto the head of year 2000, it is a free Ukraine, with its Forced Famine still veiled, that Ukrainian communities uphold to the world to witness. On November 20^th, a solemn procession in memoriam of the millions starved, organized by the Ukrainian Community Committee, will occur in New York at 10 a.m. Participants will walk 2.5 miles from either St. George’s Catholic Church, All Saints Ukrainian Orthodox Church or join along the route to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where the yearly Great Famine Commemoration will take place. The organizers of this event, Volodymyr Kurylo, Miriasia Chudio and Andrij Hankevych, hope to attract supporters to walk and to "mourn the loss of 7 – 10 million innocents, express outrage and condemn the perpetrators, and to demand recognition of the Terror Famine as a genocide against Ukrainians." The Terror Famine is "unfinished business" of the twentieth century, states Mr. Kurylo.

When the Soviet Union dismantled, the Ukrainian Diaspora felt immense joy. The native country of grandparents and parents who fled during World War I and II or from generally impossible times was free. With this freedom emerged a hope that Ukraine, all its beauty, cultural and physical, along with its hardships and tragedies would be mapped for the world to see. Most Ukrainian communities and individuals have successfully mesmerized people from outside of the Ukrainian heritage with beautiful Ukrainian traditions: pysanky, dancers, art and an alluring countryside.

As first, second and third generation American and Canadian born Ukrainians share the memories of their grandparents and parents, there is evidence of a developing awareness among listeners of the themes of hatred, death, racism and discrimination that Ukrainians endured historically. Many Slavic groups trapped in the now defunct Soviet Union struggle to have their horrors heard. In honoring these stories and committing to preserve a collective memory in the Diaspora’s minds, in conversations and in various forms of writing, it seems that the current Diaspora’s function is to destroy stereotypes that surround the culture and reveal the truths. As stated by rallyers for Kosovo who demand that history make a place for the tragedies of those who have suffered long and hard for self-determination, "it is time to assess the situation and review facts, not hysterical propaganda."

One of the truths that the Ukrainian community has faced is the Forced Famine of 1932-1933. Much has been documented within the community. Little press, often negative, has emerged in the mainstreams of the American or any other press. The fall of the Soviet bloc injected most in the Diaspora with the idea that they could finally reveal safely the reality behind the closed borders and be greeted with inquiring minds and microphones. To validate this reaction, historically, such awareness has afforded many minority groups solidarity with other groups and a platform on which to deliver their stories of oppression, as is seen in the daily news. Instead, it appears that talk about the Great Famine has subsided since Ukraine’s freedom, possibly as a result of a refocused effort on the part of Ukrainians all over the world toward building or encouraging a self-sustainable Ukraine.

Speaking to Mr. Kurylo and keeping in mind the desire to yank the Forced Famine out of obscurity, one could suggest that the Ukrainian Community Committee’s impetus for organizing this procession may be to counteract the notion that younger Ukrainian generations are "disinterested" as suggested by older generation leaders. By uniting a community—especially the young who only know of the tragedies through stories and documentation— in the name of a historical tragedy that still deserves due recognition, respect and mourning by the entire human race, this solemn procession signifies that victims and those who survived did not die or suffer in vain. Mr. Kurylo believes that memories of the Forced Famine are not to be relegated to obscure scholarly pursuits. He suggests that they should be emblazoned in history books and "the names of its masterminds—Stalin, Kagenovich, Molotov and Postishev should arouse the same ill reactions by the human race as do thoughts of Hitler, Eichman, Goering, Pol Pot and Milosevic." Over the last few decades, some of this work has been accomplished, but as this procession and the end of the millennium commands, there is more to be done. The Ukrainian Community Committee believes this work should be assumed by the young generations, the so-called yuppies and Gen-Xers.

In 1983, a rally attended by 18,000—Ukrainians and members of various other groups—took place at the Washington Monument. This procession marked the 50^th anniversary of the Forced Famine and sounded a fusion of voices and sympathies from the Jewish community, concerned citizens who were outraged by the downing of Korean Airlines passenger jet Flight 007, and by representatives of 19 ethnic organizations. The 18,000 attendees gathered to hear speakers renew a pledge to remember the Forced Famine and emotionally conclude that the world should never forget the atrocities of the Soviet regime. People came away from the event with the intention to remember and unite in these memories.

"In a time when political leaders are jostling for political correctness and apologizing for all sorts of things like seeking out the perpetrators of Kosovo and reparation for Jewish holocaust victims, it seems that [leaders] have been ignoring those who died in the Ukrainian genocide. The Ukrainian Famine is a glaring omission and the Ukrainian community has the right to demand an apology from the leaders who can speak on behalf of the old Soviet regime, " states Mr. Kurylo.

With the Ukrainian government’s long-awaited acknowledgement of the 65^th anniversary of the "famine-genocide" at the beginning of 1999 comes the support the movement seems to have needed to gain the attention of the media outside of the Ukrainian community. The fourth Saturday of November is a National Day of Remembrance in Ukraine to honor the victims of the man-made genocide. Mr. Kurylo believes that the solemn procession is an end-of-millennium reminder that the Forced Famine is still unfinished business. A way to finish business would be to open discussions between Russian leaders and Ukrainian representatives to seek out answers and assign responsibility to those who are guilty of these crimes—who may still be alive and deserve to face trial for the horrors they committed. It seems that if the mainstream media’s reaction to the Ukrainian famine is "immigrant bellyaching," as one noted speaker put it, the facts may need to be reexamined by journalists and the public in hopes that the focus won’t be victimhood, but exposing historical atrocities that happened in an era without the immediate media coverage seen today.

Mr. Kurylo would like to attract Ukrainians and other communities to unite in helping the Ukrainian community to save the memories of those starved to death by Stalin and his minions from oblivion. According to Mr. Kurylo, their memory deserves action by those leaders who are now in the position to acknowledge these memories’ validity. The procession will be attended by clergy of several New York Ukrainian churches, and will include attendees carrying Ukrainian flags and photos of the horrors of the 1932-1933 famine. The Committee seeks support in administrative tasks and would encourage people to get involved.

People interested in participation in the solemn procession should contact Volodymyr Kurylo at 212-218-1031 or by email at famine_walk33@hotmail.com A website inspired by the solemn procession can be visited at http://www.musia.net/ukrainianfamine