The timing was coincidental.
Still, yesterday it was jarring for me to leave for the noon Salem City Club program on "Finding Home in a New Culture and Country" after learning the news about how Trump and Vance had insulted Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, which really was an insult to the entire country, only to find that one of the program speakers was Kseniia Hnatovska, a Ukrainian.
Here's how she was described in a City Club email:
Kseniia and her family fled Ukraine at the onset of the war and undertook a long and challenging journey that brought them to Salem. Kseniia works as Ukrainian Navigator/Case Manager with Salem For Refugees organization now and helps other refugees to settle in and feel safe. Kseniia works hard to build a Ukrainian community in Salem and bring people and resources together.
Hnatovska shared some images of what her city, Kharkiv, was like before and after the unprovoked Russian invasion three years ago. I couldn't help but think of how Trump criticized Zelensky for being so angry at the Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin.
Gosh, Donald, maybe that had something to do with Putin being responsible for the deaths of so many Ukrainian, along with senseless attacks on civilians.
This is Hnatovska, her husband, and daughter in happier times back in Ukraine.
Until Russian bombs started to fall.
Parents would write a child's identifying information on their back in case the child became separated from their family. Or if the child was the sole survivor of a Russian attack.
Eventually Hnatovska and her family made it to Salem, where they were aided by the Salem for Refugees and other local people.
Tania Wilson Moran, the Volunteer Coordinator for Salem for Refugees, also spoke at the City Club program. She explained the rigorous process refugees have to go through before they are cleared for entry to the United States. Sometimes refugees have to wait over ten years to jump through all the hoops.
Irritatingly, Moran said that some Salem-bound refugees were ready to board planes to come to this country. Then the Trump administration cancelled all refugee admissions, an amazingly heartless and cruel thing to do.
The historic average of refugees allowed to come to the United States has been 65,000 to 70,000 per year. In 2023 the number was 60,000. Now the number is sitting at zero.
Moran said that in Salem, over 500 volunteers, 50 community partners, and 35 faith communities have welcomed over 1,000 refugees from 17 different countries who speak 29 different languages. That's wonderful. Hopefully the Trump administration will find a glimmer of compassion in its so-far cold heart and resume the entry of refugees to our country.
In response to a question from the audience about how the current dysfunction in Washington, D.C. has affected her organization, Moran said that Salem for Refugees is in a tough spot, having lost most of the group's federal funding. However, I recall her saying that they've been able to raise $100,000 from other sources.
Another audience member had a right-on comment about Ukraine losing the support of the American government. His hope was that Ukraine keeps the support of the American people. I feel the same way.
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