I am Ukrainian American

By Lala O’Neil (Jaroslava Mykula O’Neil)

(Written for the occasion of hanging my painting “Peace be With You” at the Massachusetts State House March 2022)

My parents were both born in Ukraine. My entire life my father would say, “inside of this house we will consider to be little Ukraine - outside we are proud Ukrainian Americans.”  My brothers, sister and I spoke Ukrainian at home, sang Ukrainian Christmas carols, learned poems by heart, and on special occasions dressed in traditional clothing. My grandmother taught me how to make vyshyvanka (traditional embroidery) and paska. We spend the weeks leading up to Easter making pysanky (Ukrainian Easter eggs) the traditional way with beeswax. My mother taught us to make varenyky (pierogies) and holubtsi (stuffed cabbage). I heard many stories about my family: the good times, the horror of war, the hunger and the displacement of people and separation of families due to the policies of the Soviet Union.  My father loved Ukraine and missed his family and his home. He wrote many articles and opinion pieces for a variety of publications in support of a free Ukraine. He was the principal at our Ukrainian Saturday school in Yonkers, NY. My parents strove to help family in Ukraine but it was not possible to send currency. Throughout my childhood, my father and my mother would send family in Ukraine packages filled with coffee, peanut butter, American jeans, and other goods that could be sold or traded for building supplies or other necessities. Ukraine was always on our mind. I attended many protests and demonstrations throughout my life. Today, everyone knows of Ukraine as a country but that was not true when I was growing up in the 1970’s and 80’s. Either my peers never heard of Ukraine or they considered it to be a country that chose to be a communist country. I feel that I have spent my life educating people around me about Ukraine and how it is not the same as or part of Russia. It is not “THE” Ukraine because it is not a territory of Russia. It is Ukraine.

In 1991, when Ukraine achieved independence and was free from the bonds of the Soviet Union, my father saw his sister for the first time in 45 years when she visited us in America. I had never seen my father cry before this. Teta Lida was the first of 21 family members who came to stay with us over the next 30 years, sometimes for a month, other times for a number of years. We gladly shared our home. It was fun getting to know my “new” aunts, uncles and cousins.

In 1995 I was able to visit Ukraine. When I landed at the airport in Lviv I was so emotional. I never let myself believe that I would be able to actually stand in Ukraine. I stayed in Lviv (in western Ukraine) and Kyiv (in central/eastern Ukraine) and the areas surrounding each of these major cities. Kyiv is very beautiful and impressive but my heart is in Lviv. Both sides of my family are from that area of Ukraine. Lviv is a beautiful and historic city filled with spectacular old and intricate architecture, statuary and art museums. I can’t wait to be able to visit again.

When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th my heart broke. My father passed away a few years ago. I am so grateful he was able to enjoy an independent Ukraine. He would be heartbroken to witness the horror and destruction inflicted by Putin. My entire childhood I heard about the bravery and resilience of Ukrainian people. I assumed that some of that was exaggerated. I was proven very wrong. I am so proud of Ukrainians. I am so proud to be Ukrainian American. I have relatives and friends whose families have been torn apart. Most women and children have fled to safety to Poland. The rest are staying to fight or help in the effort in some way – a friend working to heal the wounded, a cousin setting up a pop-up factory sewing tactical gear and armor, everyone opening their homes to as many as will fit.

In 2019, when President Zelenskyy was elected, I painted “Peace be With You.” He was new to politics and I was very nervous. He wanted to unite the Ukrainian and Russian speaking sections of Ukraine and decrease the rampant corruption in the government. I had to trust the Ukrainian people who voted for him with an overwhelming majority. He has proved to be exactly the president that Ukraine needs during this time. He is an amazing communicator and leader. I hope and pray he will be victorious against Russian Federation aggression. I long for peace and a world without Putin. I long for the end of the suffering. I look forward to a Ukraine that is healing and rebuilding. 

God Bless America and Ukraine. Slava Ukraini! Heroyam Slava!