Stand With Ukraine: Day of Solidarity in Washington, DC
Many hundreds of Ukrainians from across the U.S.A. gathered near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC on Sunday, February 20, 2022. The Day of Solidarity honoured the memory of the “Heavenly Hundred” who died during the Revolution of Dignity in Kyiv 2013-2014, and those killed in Russia’s more recent military aggression against Ukraine.
Participants, together with Orthodox and Catholic clergy of the Archeparchy of Philadelphia held a Panakhyda memorial prayer service, led by His Excellency, Bishop Andriy Rabiy. Ukraine’s current ambassador to the United States, Her Excellency Oksana Markarova, delivered a moving speech. A number of former US ambassadors to Ukraine, such as Marie Yovanovitch, William B. Taylor, and John Herbst also spoke, expressing support for Ukraine and condemning Russian aggression.
Among the organizers of the event were United Help Ukraine, Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, Ukrainian American Veterans, US Ukrainian Activists, Razom for Ukraine, US-Ukraine Foundation, House of Ukraine, Ukrainian Freedom Foundation, and other Ukrainian-American organizations and members of the Ukrainian diaspora. Activist speakers from Georgia, Belarus’, Poland, and Russia, among others, also expressed support. Three busloads of the faithful from the Philadelphia Archeparchy were led by Bishop Rabiy. Many of those in attendance were children of Ukraine’s World War II refugees, who prayed that history not be repeated. The peaceful march ended at the White House, with demands for tougher and immediate sanctions against Russian aggression.
