The Second City (for Ukrainian Americans)
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Thousands of Ukrainian Americans in Chicago are waking up this morning to the news of Russia's full-scale attack on their home country.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Ald. Daniel LaSpata introduced a resolution earlier this month to support "the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine" as the country comes under Russian invasion.
Why it matters: The resolution is a recognition and appreciation of Chicago's large, 100-year-old Ukrainian-American community.
- Our metropolitan area hosts the second-largest population in the nation, with more than 54,000 people identifying as having Ukrainian ancestry.
- But with different immigration waves and religious affiliations, the community can seem diffused.
Where they are: According to Orysia Kourbatov, an administrator at Chicago's Ukrainian National Museum, the area's Ukrainian Americans are concentrated in the following areas:
- Ukrainian Village
- The O'Hare area near St. Joseph's Ukrainian Catholic Church
- Palatine
- Elmwood Park
- Northwest Indiana
- Southwest suburbs around Palos Heights
What they're saying: "This resolution isn’t just about those currently living in Ukraine. It is about showing our own communities that we stand united with them," Nubia Willman, director of the city’s Office of New Americans, told Block Club Chicago.