My column in The Sun today results from a dive into some old documents, including stories in the newspaper archives, about people who came from what we once called “The Ukraine” when it was part of imperial Russia and, later, the Soviet Union. The more I speak with Ukrainian-Americans about the current crisis — Russia’s brutal and senseless attacks on independent Ukraine — the more I wanted to learn about the Ukrainian experience in Baltimore and Maryland. Their numbers were never huge — Germans were the largest European immigrant group to settle in Baltimore — but Ukrainians certainly accomplished a lot in a relatively short time, as you will see from what I relate in the column. One thing that’s admirable: Instead of complaining about the city and fees and hassles, the Ukrainian Festival remains in Baltimore, where it has been staged since the mid-1970s. I was glad to hear that the festival will be held again this September after a pandemic-imposed hiatus. I’ll see you there, in line for pierogies, Sept. 10-11.
Dan Rodricks 