Reception afforded the fleeing Ukrainians

Philadelphia PA

Description

A component of this Ukraine invasion embarrasses me and is difficult to talk about. I am half Ukrainian (Lyga) and have a justified feeling of intense pity for what is happening 'to my people'. The Ukrainians have provided no cause, remotely, to justify how they are being treated; they are innocent to the final degree. Yet, this is happening. At least the world is rather unified in its directives of support for Ukraine, but the suffering continues, unabated, with remorseless effort on the part of Putin's Russia. The Ukrainians are caught in a quandary: escape or not? There are fully rational reasons for either side of this choice. Patriotism holds them inside; mortal fear propels them to leave. However, Ukrainians are not alone here. Before the invasion there were about 16,000 students from Africa (mostly pre-med) who were matriculating within Ukraine's colleges and universities. Before the invasion, there were about 44,000,000 Ukrainians living in Ukraine. Thus, for every 2,750 Ukrainians, there was but one African student living in Ukraine. What these numbers bring up to the forefront here mandates questioning the wayward treatment and reception of disparate cultures. We continually hear how gracious Poland (and other bordering states) have been towards welcoming the fleeing Ukrainians. These bordering states are offering an untold generosity to their Slavic brothers and sisters, which is to be commended, heralded, and fully supported (politically and monetarily) by other nations who are championing Ukraine's cause. However, the welcome, in the majority of cases, does not only NOT extend to these foreign students, but, in too many cases, is reversed and is openly hostile towards these 'troublesome interlopers'. The paucity of these foreign numbers provide no justification, whatsoever, to infer that 'in the heat of the moment' this ill treatment is justified in pragmatic terms. These foreign students are not 'getting in the way' of evacuations, not invading or looting the Ukrainian constituency, not trying to get something which they do not deserve. These African students, also, are wholly innocent, need food and water like other humans, and deserve to have their intense fears mitigated, just like the Ukrainians have that inherent right. It is shameful to see how they are being treated at border crossings, even being beaten in some cases, and David Lyga is at a loss to find any, even latent, justification for this. To me, the Ukrainian people, in combination with the Slavs of neighboring countries, are true heroes. But this outward, ill-treatment of foreign African students, black students, is a troubling smear upon the Slavic character. And it is a smear that David Lyga will not forgo noticing for sake of a skewed sense of camaraderie. - David Lyga