[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 19 (Monday, February 28, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 28, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
 CONGRATULATING THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL ASSOCIATION [UNA] ON ITS 100TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______


                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 28, 1994

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I wish to extend my congratulations to the 
Ukrainian National Association, the oldest and largest Ukrainian-
American organization in the United States, on the very special 
occasion of its centennial anniversary.
  A century ago, on February 22, 1894, the Ukrainian National 
Association was founded as a fraternal insurance organization to assist 
the tens of thousands of poor Ukrainian laborers struggling to survive 
in the coal mines and factories of the newly industrial America.
  The purpose of UNA was to improve the lot of Ukrainian-Americans 
living in freedom in the United States and ensure that Ukrainians 
realize full participation in American life.
  While the UNA has helped to create and preserve Ukrainian identity in 
the United States by providing for the cultural, social, and 
educational needs of the Ukrainian-American community, it has never 
lost sight of the aspirations of Ukrainians in Ukraine.
  The UNA has helped Americans to understand the Soviet role in 
repressing and persecuting the people of Ukraine. Through the UNA's 
publication of the Ukrainian Weekly, American politicians learned of 
Stalin's brutal policies of forced collectivization that starved to 
death more than 7 million Ukrainians in 1932-33; the repression of 
human rights activists in the 1970's and 1980's; and Ukraine's hard-
fought freedom from Soviet subjugation in 1990-91.
  The UNA is now working to help the newly independent Ukraine through 
humanitarian, educational, and technical assistance. With the United 
States Government and numerous private voluntary organizations, the UNA 
is playing a critical role in helping to promote democratic and free 
market institutions in Ukraine.
  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the UNA on its first 100 years of 
dedicated service and extend my best wishes for the future.

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