"I Am a Ukrainian"

There is a mahogany bookcase in my office, about six feet high, on which I have placed part of my professional library, including some books about education, but mostly volumes about various aspects of history.  Last spring, I hung a Ukrainian flag from the top of the bookcase.  The flag was smaller than I really wanted, but it covers the upper fourth of the shelves and the bookcase, a splash of color in an otherwise dull scene of drab office furniture.  

I don't work too far from Chicago's Ukrainian Village neighborhood.  Like most neighborhoods in the city, the ethnic divisions have blurred over the years but you can still find a couple of decent Ukrainian restaurants there, Old Lviv being one of my favorites, and a Ukrainian souvenir shop of sorts, mainly selling food, candy and what I call "comfort items" from the old country, mainly to help those who have emigrated to the United States keep a little piece of home close to them.  

Last spring, not for any real reason except I thought that I might occasionally pick up some news about what was happening in the war from a Ukrainian perspective, I started listening to an online radio station from Kyiv.  It plays a variety of easy listening, jazz and pop music, most of it American style, with an occasional European artist thrown in, and there are intermittent news broadcasts and announcements.  It's not at all like I expected to hear from a radio station in a country at war, no urgency, no news flashes or sharp bulletins.  It sounds like their purpose is to be calm, to put people at ease, to sound as normal and peaceful as possible, to help people get through the day with as little anxiety and fear as possible.  

The advertisements and news are all in Ukrainian.  Occasionally, there is an English word thrown in here or there, but for the most part, I don't understand any of the words. On several occasions, I recognized the voice of President Zelenskyy, and once, I did hear remarks made by President Biden when he went to Kyiv. I was asked, on a couple of occasions, by visitors in my office, if I understood what was being said, and I said no, but by now, I've become used to it and I don't notice anymore.  

And of course, there was the inevitable question, by someone who was particularly observant on a day when I wore a blue shirt with a gold and blue tie.  

"Are you Ukrainian?"  

I started to say, "No," but I thought about it for a moment, and, confident that I knew the person well enough to engage in discussion on this subject, I said, "Aren't we all?"  

The Ukrainian people are as distinct from their Russian neighbors, and from those in the neighboring countries of Belarus, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Moldava, as Polish people are from Germans, or as the French are from the Dutch, or, for that matter, as Americans are from Japanese.  The culture is different, the language is similar, but different, the society is different.  The history has made them distinctly different.  Russian rulers, from the Czars to the Communist dictators, never considered Ukrainians as equals, but always as vassals in a feudal sort of way that reflected Russia's own social structure into the twentieth century.  

I know that, not only from history, but because over the past few years, I have met, and become good friends, with several Ukrainian families who made the choice to emigrate to America because they were uncertain of the political stability of their part of the world and didn't care much for living so close to Putin's Russia.  They brought their families here, for the safety and security of their children, and to provide them with an education and opportunity they were not certain would be theirs because they lived with a constant threat and fear of Russian dominance and aggression.  

These are families who came here before the current political chapter of Ukraine had emerged.  But the invasion of Russia confirmed their decision for them, one family coming from Donetsk, another from Mariupol, and two others from Lviv.  The quotas under US immigration policy for Ukrainians was very limited before the war, so when the opportunity came, and their names came up on the list, they took the opportunity and came here, to be close to other family members who came before them.  

What I have gained from knowing them is a deeper appreciation for the freedom that we have as Americans, living in a constititional democracy where our rights are protected.  Prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the creation of independent Ukraine in 1991, they only dreamed of this kind of freedom.  The transition from communism to democracy was not easy for Ukraine.  The gratitude these families have for the freedom they have here, and their desire to see this same level of independence and liberty be the standard for Ukraine as well is inspiring.  Even the kids, as young as third and fourth grade, are experts on the United States Constitution!  Imagine that.  

Ukraine is, in its war against Russia, fighting for freedom and democracy, not just for its own people, but for all of us.  They are building a nation using our ideals and principles, modeled after our democracy, including an almost identical system of justice and courts, which are the front line in any government that is still in its infancy and feeling its way toward maturity as a free and independent nation.  Ukraine has grown and matured in its politics and in its development as a democracy because of its admiration for the United States, and for its neighbors in the European Union.  And in an alliance with Europe and the United States, it would not be a "vassal state" as it was during its long history of being under the dominance of Russia.  

If Ukraine wins, and it is looking more and more every day like that will be the outcome of the war, it will be a win for constitutional democracy.  It should not be seen as an "anti-Russian" achievement, but a pro-democratic achievement.  Ukraine is not looking to be an outpost for the European Union or NATO, aligned against Russia, or a place for the United States to strategically arm itself against Russia, but an independent country with a bright future because it has the ability and the means to develop its natural resources for the benefit of its people.  It does not appear that Ukraine is interested in conquest or acquisition of territory or resources.  

There is a sizeable Russian-speaking minority in the country, precisely because it was a political part of Russia for so long, that the borders were more provincial boundaries than national borders.  So Russians, seeking economic opportunities especially in the defense industry based in Crimea, or in the industrial Donbas region, moved in and were comfortable.  If Ukraine is a democracy, and its people enjoy constitutionally protected rights, that means its Russian speaking minority will be treated the same.  At least, that appears to be the intention of the Ukrainian government.  

So yes, as long as there is a war going on in Ukraine, I am in solidarity with the Ukrainian people who are fighting for their independence and their freedom.  I will keep the flag draped on my bookshelf, the small one on my desk, and I will make it known when I wear gold and blue, that it is in honor of Ukraine and its people.  

I am a Ukrainian.  I hope most Amreicans feel the same way.