[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 32 (Tuesday, March 19, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E375]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO UKRAINIAN CONSULATE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 19, 2002

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the opening of the 
Ukrainian Consulate in Michigan, which will officially begin operations 
on March 23, 2002.
  The opening of this consulate in Michigan demonstrates the special 
relationship the United States has with Ukraine, and signifies the 
importance of the Ukrainian-American community in southeastern 
Michigan. There are approximately 200,000 Americans of Ukrainian 
descent residing in Michigan, with the vast majority living in the 
Detroit metro area, and they have contributed greatly to the diversity 
and the prosperity of the region.
  Since first arriving in the United States, Ukrainian-Americans have 
done well in all aspects of American historical, socio-cultural, and 
political life. Their sons and daughters have grown up to be doctors, 
professors, lawyers, and other professionals. They have been a vital 
part of the industrial life in Michigan, and served nobly in the armed 
services of this Nation. Yet, even as they embraced America, Ukrainian-
Americans have maintained their rich cultural history and ethnic 
identity, and sought to teach fellow Americans about this culture.
  Nowhere is this culture more in evidence than at the Ukrainian 
Cultural Center, which serves as the home for the consulate in Warren, 
MI. The Ukrainian Cultural Center is home to more than 40 arts, civic, 
educational, social, sports, and youth organizations, including the 
member organizations of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America 
branch for southeastern Michigan.
  The center is an integral part of not only the Ukrainian community, 
but all of metropolitan Detroit and Michigan. With the addition of the 
consulate, the center now is able to assist Ukrainian-Americans in 
Michigan and to facilitate trade, cultural and academic programs, and 
exchanges between Ukraine and Michigan.
  The consulate became a reality through the tireless efforts of the 
men and women of the Committee in Support of the Consulate of Ukraine 
in Michigan. Borys Potapenko, who served as chairman of the committee, 
and Bohdan Fedorak, who has been designated Honorary Consul of Ukraine 
in Michigan, have routinely devoted so much of their time to the 
Ukrainian community through the years.
  The opening of the consulate demonstrates that the partnership 
between our nations is increasingly being strengthened. This is another 
milestone along that road. It is not the end of the journey.
  So I ask my colleagues to join me as we extend our sincere 
congratulations to the people of Michigan and around the Nation on the 
opening of the Ukrainian Consulate in Michigan.




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