By: Emma Schwartz

Large rallies in support of Ukraine came together in D.C. on March 6, 2022. People from across the country came to chant, wave flags, and hold up signs to show their support for Ukraine. Many wore yellow and blue to represent the flag of Ukraine and held up signs that went directly against Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president. 

At the rally, people chanted “Slava Ukraini!” which translates to “Glory to Ukraine!” in English. This saying is a Ukrainian national salute. It is known as a symbol of Ukrainian sovereignty and resistance, which is why speakers at the rallies were chanting this in order to show solidarity to the people of Ukraine. The turnout at the rally was also very good according to an anonymous Mt. Hebron student. 

“Yeah, there were a lot of people there. A lot of Ukrainians, but also Georgians and Belarusians showing their support as well as other people of all backgrounds,” she said. 

People from all over and many different backgrounds came out to D.C to show their support for Ukraine. This inspired a lot of people and brought many together. 

There are many mixed views on whether America is doing enough to help Ukraine. 

It is a very complicated political situation, but some think that if America gets involved, it could endanger American citizens.  However, others think that if we don’t get involved then more innocent Ukrainians will die. 

Mt. Hebron student Daniella Gross has a take on whether she thinks America is doing enough, 

“I don’t think America as a part of NATO is doing enough in regard to voting to close the Ukrainian sky,” she stated.

 Closing the Ukrainian sky means that no government air vehicles can fly over Ukraine. The purpose of this is to stop missiles and other bombs from hitting Ukraine. 

The rally was a peaceful protest. Its goal was to show the people of Ukraine that they have support from citizens in the U.S and that they are not alone. The Ukraine rallies have been taking place for years, but this one was especially important because of the rising tensions between the countries. 

“Most of the people there were wearing Ukrainian flags and had posters either supporting Ukraine, criticizing Putin, or calling the US to help. There were several speakers there who were talking about what the situation is like over there,” said the anonymous student. 

This shows that it was peaceful and the American citizens were executing their right to free speech in order to educate and show support. 

There was no one goal to this rally but in terms of showing that there are people that care and that the innocent people of Ukraine are not alone, it seems that this rally did its job. There is always more that can be done, but these kinds of rallies seem to be a step in the right direction.