200 attend rally at Thrive to show solidarity with Ukraine
News Story by Cassy Benefield | FāVS News
On the corner of East 4th Ave. and South Cowley St. roughly 200 people showed their support for Ukraine at a rally held at Thrive Center Wednesday evening. With flags, sunflowers, signs and one bullhorn, protesters shouted chants and stood in solidarity with Ukrainians as cars passed by, many honking their horns in support.
“Show me what democracy looks like!” shouted Jaime Smith from the bullhorn, to which the the crowd answered back, “This is what democracy looks like!”
Her parents raised her to stand with America’s allies and “not cower to bullies,” she said.
“There is no justification for what’s happening. There’s no justification for the lack of support, either for Ukraine or Palestine,” she said. “Everyone deserves to be safe and seen and supported. “
The Rally for Ukraine began with everyone gathered in the parking lot of the Center along East 4th Ave. By the proposed 5:30 p.m. start time, more than half the protesters were already in their place.
One of them was Tim Gallagher, who came with his new “I stand with Ukraine” flag. It’s a duplicate of the same flag he’s had hanging in front of his garage since the war started.
“I stand with Ukraine,” he said. “The invasion of Ukraine was totally wrong.”
Around 6 p.m., the protest crowd walked toward the front of the building for a brief, informal program. Thrive Center Executive Director Mark Finney was introduced by Rev. Jim Castrolong, who oversees the Center’s Human Resources, Policy and Advocacy.
“Who loves freedom today?” Finney said, describing the diversity of the people living in America today. “We have forgotten we are a nation of immigrants.”
To this, he asked people to raise their voices and shout in support, some in the audience doing so with bells.
Before he introduced Thrive employee Mariia Mykhaileako to encourage the crowd, he read Emma Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus,” which is inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty. Continuing from her words “give me your tired, poor, your huddled masses … the wretched refuse of your teeming shore,” Finney added his own words.
“We are the wretched masses of people who are bombed out of our homes and starved out of places like Ireland, where my ancestors came from and came here looking for a better life,” he said. “That is who we are, and that’s why we’ve gathered today — to remember that.”
Mykhaileako, Thrive’s finance and operations manager, then asked the crowd to keep standing up for Ukraine. She said they deserve to live without fear and without the daily threat of violence.
“They deserve the chance to rebuild, to heal and to thrive again,” she said. “But this is not something that will happen on its own. It requires all of us. It requires the unity and the love that I see in this crowd today.”
One of those Ukrainians trying to rebuild stood in the crowd with the rest of the supporters. Yelyzaveta Shchukina held Ukrainian and American flags in her hands. She sought asylum in America prior to the Uniting for Ukraine humanitarian parole program. This program invited Ukrainians a chance to live in peace and safety while the war with Russia continued.
Her journey started in Romania, where she stayed for a month, then flew to Mexico City. There, she found arrangements to get to Tijuana and walked across the border into the U.S. asking for asylum. That was in April 2022.
“I left Ukraine because I’m afraid of war,” Shchukina said through her phone’s interpretation app. “It’s dangerous for us to live now. Bombs are flying. These drones are exploding, killing people.”
Right now, she waits to raise money to hire lawyers for the asylum process, which she said is very expensive. While waiting, Shchukina is tracked by a GPS device given to her by the federal government that she is required to have with her at all times.
She is happy to be here, safe and free, she said, even if she doesn’t know what tomorrow will bring.
Part of that happiness stems from events like Thrive Center’s Rally for Ukraine. Part of it stems from her faith.
“I am very glad the American people support Ukraine,” Shchukina said. “We are so warmly received here, and I am grateful to God.”
