Soap Lake shows solidarity with Slavic community
A Ukrainian family that lives in Soap Lake sang a couple of Ukrainian songs at the vigil at East Beach Park in Soap Lake on March 6.
Rebecca Pettingill/Columbia Basin Herald
Soap Lake Mayor Alex Kovach read a proclamation showing support for the Slavic community on behalf of the Soap Lake City Council at the vigil on March 6.
Members of the Soap Lake community mingled as they waited for the small ceremony of the candlelight vigil to support their Slavic neighbors to start on Mach 6.
SOAP LAKE - On March 6, members of the Soap Lake community came together to hold a candlelight vigil to support the Slavic community and heritage that has been a large part of Soap Lake.
The gathering was prompted by Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine which has seen the deaths of hundreds of civilians.
Several dozen people showed up to the vigil that was held at East Beach Park on Sunday. The vigil included candles, a donation jar, a couple of small speeches, a prayer and a couple songs in Ukrainian.
The vigil saw many different members of the community, from city council members to members of the Slavic community in Soap Lake.
A small family spoke and said that they had moved to the Soap Lake area three years ago from Ukraine and had members of their family still there fighting. The family gathered and sang a couple of songs in Ukrainian.
Soap Lake Mayor Alex Kovach read a proclamation put together by the Soap Lake City Council showing support for the Soap Lake Slavic community.
The proclamation reads as follows:
“Whereas, Ukrain gained sovereignty in 1991 in pursuit of true democracy and freedom, and
on Feb 23rd, 2022, the Russian government deployed military action against Ukraine, with
senseless violence causing tragic deaths and damage, and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee their homes and seek refuge.
Whereas, the United States of America, along with its NATO allies, condemns this violation of
international law and is supporting the Ukrainian people in their defense against this attack.
Whereas, the City of Soap Lake has a significant Slavic community, whose culture has enriched our local identity through the freedoms of the United States of America to practice religion, conduct business, influence politics and pursue life, liberty, and happiness.
Now, Therefore, I, Alex Kovach, mayor of the City of Soap Lake, along with the Soap Lake City Council, unanimously stand in solidarity with the local community of Slavic heritage, and those across the globe making sacrifices to bravely resist the Russian government attacking their homes and democracy.”
A 20-minute video of the vigil can be seen on the Soap Lake for Locals Facebook page athttps://bit.ly/SoapLakeFL. The songs in Ukrainian start at about 10 minutes in.
Rebecca Pettingill can be reached at rpettingill@columbiabasinherald.com. She welcomes news tips for sports and local happenings in Soap Lake and Coulee City.
