While the world’s gaze is now understandably focused on the crisis developing between Iran and Israel, we cannot let the war in Ukraine fade from our hearts— or from our conscience.

President Zelenskyy left the G7 with nothing more than words of sympathy. Meanwhile, the genocidal war in Ukraine continues.

Ukrainian children are still being forcibly separated from their families and subjected to systematic indoctrination, made to forget their names, their language, and their country. Some are even being sent to fight against their own country, their real families, their real homes.

While Yale University Humanitarian Research Lab had documented the abduction of 20,000 Ukrainian children, that program was quietly shut down by the current administration. The true number is far greater. Russia’s own children’s rights commissioner claimed that 700,000 children were “accepted” by Russia between February 2022 and July 2023. We say “abducted.” Russia says “rescued.”

Russia wants to destroy Ukraine as a nation and eradicate Ukraine as an identity. Ukraine is fighting for its survival. Will we look away while a sovereign nation is crushed by authoritarian force?

What you can do:

June 24 marks the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. To honor this day, the Sunflower Society of Sacramento will host a rally at the State Capitol from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Please stand with victims of war crimes and forced displacement. Also, UC Davis law professor Kevin R Johnson, a leading voice in immigration law, will be speaking on “Immigration Justice.” More than anything, Ukrainian and Russian immigrants and refugees are moved to tears simply by meeting Americans who still care. Your presence means everything. Attend this rally — you can do it!

On June 28, at 10 a.m., join us at the Varsity Theater in Davis. Sacha Chickering, a UC Davis student, will present his slide show. At the age of 19, he rode his bike from Barcelona to Ukraine and raised $20,000 for the country. He later spent seven months in Ukraine delivering medical supplies.

An inspiring story!! (What were YOU doing at age 19?) Also, Davis’s own Brett Lee, former mayor and City Councilman who has been to Ukraine 4 times, will describe the scholarship program he helped set up, where 26 students, displaced by the war, are able to attend university

In a time of crisis fatigue, your voice, your presence, and your compassion still matter. Taking even these small actions will give you a sense of meaning and fulfillment in these challenging times.

By Nancy Fischer, Woodland