1970s in the presence of the club's delegation, January 1976. The Ukrainian Association of Washington State was founded in Seattle on September 27, 1971, and was originally named the Ukrainian American Club of Washington. The club's founder and first president was Wolodymyr Klos, an immigrant from Ukraine. In the early 1970s, the club initiated a number of cultural and political events that became annual traditions. The first official event was a Ukrainian Christmas celebration at the
Museum of History and Industry in December 1971. Club members introduced Ukrainian Christmas traditions, and the club's choir sang Ukrainian
Christmas carols. The museum also opened an exhibit of Ukrainian arts and crafts. Throughout the 1970s, similar Christmas events were organized by the club. Since 1972, UAWS has also celebrated the birthday of
Taras Shevchenko, a famous Ukrainian poet. In 1972, the first grand ceremony took place at
St. James Cathedral. In 1973, the club held its first political activity by commemorating
Ukrainian independence. In 1973, Ukraine was still incorporated into the
Soviet Union, and the
Ukrainian diaspora traditionally recognized January 22 as Ukrainian Independence day. On this day in 1918, the
Central Council of Ukraine adopted its
IV Universal, a document proclaiming Ukrainian independence; however, Ukraine was subsequently overrun by
Bolshevik armies and incorporated into the
Soviet Union. The 1973 event hosted hundreds of guests from the northwestern US and
British Columbia. Proclamations in support of Ukrainian independence were signed by the
governor of Washington,
Daniel Evans, and
Seattle Mayor Wes Uhlman, who delivered a speech. In 1975, the UAWS sponsored the first Ukrainian Northwest Festival in support of Ukrainian independence. Over 3,500 guests from the US and Canada attended the festival, which featured Ukrainian artists, musicians, and dancers. Former Canadian Prime Minister
John Diefenbaker and a number of US senators and congressional representatives sent supportive messages to the festival's attendees. In 1976, in addition to its regular activities, the association participated in the celebration of the
United States Bicentennial, including a special exhibition of Ukrainian folk art.
1980s In the 1980s, the club continued its tradition of commemorating Ukrainian Independence Day, and organized proclamations in support of Ukrainian independence signed by
Washington governors Dixy Lee Ray and
Booth Gardner as well as
Seattle Mayor Charles Royer. In September 1982, the Ukrainian Association of Washington State organized protests in support of the
Reagan administration’s policy against the construction of the
Urengoy–Pomary–Uzhhorod pipeline through
Soviet Ukraine. The Reagan administration believed that such a project would make Europe dangerously dependent on Russian gas. Protests took place in Seattle's
Gas Works Park and were supported by Americans of Eastern European origin.
1990s For the
Ukrainian diaspora, the most important event of the 1990s was the
Declaration of Independence of Ukraine of 1991, when Ukraine achieved true independence as the result of the
dissolution of the Soviet Union. This event triggered a strong emotional reaction within the local diaspora. The club's original founder, Wolodymyr Klos, returned to Ukraine. The Ukrainian Association of Washington State started raising money for the newly formed state of Ukraine, including assistance to the victims of the
Chernobyl disaster. In 1991, all club events related to Ukrainian independence were moved from January 22 (the anniversary of the
IV Universal document from the
Central Council of Ukraine) to August 24, the current official
Independence Day of Ukraine. Beginning in 1991, the composition of the Ukrainian diaspora of Washington State began to change. Most early club members immigrated to the United States from
Halychyna after
World War II, fleeing the
terror of Stalin's regime. These immigrants were exclusively native Ukrainian speakers and were largely
parishioners of the
Ukrainian Orthodox or
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. After 1991, newcomers to Washington State came from a variety of Ukrainian regions, and the majority of churchgoers were
Evangelical Protestants. As a result, the Ukrainian diaspora of Washington State became more heterogeneous, and UAWS activities became unconnected to any particular church.
21st century speaks at the event commemorating Holodomor, Seattle 2008 , Seattle 2004 , Seattle 2014 In 2008, the association took part in the worldwide Holodomor Remembrance Flame event, commemorating the 75th anniversary of
Holodomor (the Soviet Ukraine Great Famine from 1932 to 1933, which killed millions of Ukrainians). After its journey through
Australia and
Canada, the torch entered the United States in Seattle, where it was solemnly passed to the US Ukrainian ambassador. The Ukrainian Association of Washington State sponsored the event and the subsequent reception, which was attended by officials from Ukraine, the United States, and Canada. For the association, the most important events in the 21st century were the
Orange Revolution of 2004;
Euromaidan and the subsequent
impeachment of Viktor Yanukovych; and the
2014–15 Russian military intervention in Ukraine. These events triggered mass protests in Ukraine, especially on
Maidan Nezalezhnosti in
Kyiv, as well as protests within all Ukrainian diaspora. In 2004, widespread falsification of the results of the
Ukrainian presidential election in favor of pro-Russian candidate
Victor Yanukovych led to a political crisis and a series of
civil disobedience actions that were dubbed the Orange Revolution. These events led to a repeat vote that secured the victory for Yanukovich's rival,
Viktor Yushchenko. UAWS took part in protests supporting the Orange Revolution and promoted fair and transparent election procedures. The association solicited the Ukrainian administration to allow Washington State Ukrainians who retained Ukrainian citizenship—an estimated 15,000 people—to vote. For the initial vote,
the Ukrainian embassy declined the association's petition to open a
polling place in Seattle, and the Ukrainian consulate in
San Francisco, located over 800 miles from Seattle, remained the closest polling place. UAWS organized a bus convoy from Seattle to San Francisco so at least some of the enfranchised Ukrainians could cast their votes. During the repeat vote, the association successfully compelled the Ukrainian Embassy to open a polling station in
Kent, Washington—the only such concession made by the Ukrainian government during the presidential elections of 2004. In 2014, the club supported mass protests in Ukraine against the abrupt decision of the Ukrainian government to discontinue the integration of Ukraine into the
European Union. Rallies in support of
Euromaidan (a wave of demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine) were held in Seattle. The subsequent aggravation of the crisis, including
the impeachment of Viktor Yanukovych, the
annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, and the
2014–15 Russian military intervention in Ukraine, sparked new waves of protests among local Ukrainians. UAWS raised money to support protesters in Ukraine, received immigrant Ukrainian families whose members were killed in the
war, and organized regional rallies and protests. == Organizational structure ==