A historic event took place at the Ukrainian National Museum in Chicago on July 20, 2017.
In attendance were Most Rev, Benedict Alesichuk, Congressman Mike Quigley, Ukrainian American JB Pritzker, and a room full of leaders from the Ukrainian Community. JB Pritzker, a candidate for Governor of Illinois, is the 1st Ukrainian American to run for Governor in the entire history of the United States.
JB Pritzker’s ancestral roots are tracing back to the Kyiv region of Ukraine. He spoke of the Tsarist pogrom that motivated his great-grandfather Yakob and his son Nicholas to leave Imperial Russia and come to the United States.
The Pritzker family continues to read about their history and the suffering they experienced. As one of the founders of the Holocaust Museum in Skokie, Illinois, JB stated that it is crucial that people be made more aware of the history of the Holodomor.
Congressman Mike Quigley talked about his family history which escaped the Great Potato Famine in Ireland, emigrated to Canada, and crossed the border to move to the United States in search of jobs and a living. The Congressman expressed his deep compassion and understanding for the complexities of emigration and for increased support for Ukraine.
An evening of good food catered by the Ukrainian Cultural Center, jazz music filling the air, while historic maps of Ukraine cover the walls of the Museum and the company of good people was truly a pleasant Evening At The Museum (an event hosted by Steve Demitro).
By Myron Panchuk
Pictures by Charles Cherney
