Congress of Russian Americans Seeking to Counter Russophobia in US, President Says
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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Congress of Russian Americans (CRA) has fought Russophobia throughout its 50-year existence by opposing closures of parks and demolition of monuments linked to Russian heritage, CRA President Natalie Sabelnik told Sputnik.
The CRA will celebrate its 50th anniversary on September 22. The organization will mark it with a gala in San Francisco, where it is headquartered.
"Most recently, Aleuts in Sitka, Alaska, wanted to completely remove the Baranov statue - representing Alexander Baranov, who governed the territories of Russian America from 1799-1819. We wrote letters and obtained signatures on petitions distributed worldwide and were able to find a compromise with the statue being moved to the local museum in Sitka rather than being destroyed," Sabelnik said.
The CRA president expressed concern with that demand to destroy the statue, which she called a Russophobic act, and said Aleut activists claimed Russians had invaded their lands and sought to remove everything related to the country.
"I think we found a good compromise. A compromise is always a good solution," Sabelnik said.
Several years ago, then-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted to close Fort Ross, a major Russian settlement owned by the Russian American Company in the 19th century. Back then, it was not perceived as a move motivated by Russophobia, but the organization nevertheless "bombarded" the governor with letters and petitions, Sabelnik said.
"We were saying that Fort Ross is not just a park, it is actually a historical monument of friendship between Russians, the Russian American Company, the indigenous people and the Spaniards who were there at the time. It worked! They did not close Fort Ross," Sabelnik said.
The CRA also helped defend Russian programs in several universities in the United States when the schools wanted to close them.
Sabelnik expressed disappointment that some residents of California suggested renaming the Russian River to the Ukrainian River after Moscow began its special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022.
"Some started to cover up the name 'Russian River’ and [call it] 'Ukrainian River' instead and wrote messages in the neighborhood blog claiming the Russians are 'always invading,' including Hawaii, Alaska and Fort Ross in California. Obviously, those individuals do not know history at all," she said.
Sabelnik noted that Russians developed that part of California in the early 19th century and called the river Slavyanka.
"Because few could pronounce Slavyanka when the maps were being made, somebody said 'Russian River' when asked what was the river called," she said, adding that nobody actually wants to rename the river now.
The CRA president emphasized that Russophobia remains a part of life in the United States just as intolerance against other minorities - African, Asian or Jewish Americans - also exists. "Yes, a lot of progress has been made, but it still prevails in the United States. It is still something that I am not sure will ever go away," she said.
Sabelnik, a daughter of White Russian emigres who was born in China, shared a story from the time when she arrived in the United States in 1950 and experienced other children in kindergarten calling her a “communist” just because she was Russian.
"Obviously, these children probably did not know what they were saying. It was probably they came home, went to their parents and said there was a girl in the class and she only speaks Russian, to which the parents probably answered - she is a communist, she is red," Sabelnik said.
However, most Americans are very kind people and interested in learning about foreign cultures, so explaining Russian traditions would help build bridges, she said.
"We are proud that we are Russians. We are proud of our culture, heritage and traditions," Sabelnik said.
The Congress of Russian Americans is a non-governmental organization in the United States created in 1973 by Russian immigrants, mostly White Russian emigres from the Russian Empire. The organization is committed to preserving Russian culture in the United States, protecting the rights of Russian Americans, fighting Russophobia and improving relations between Russians and Americans.
To celebrate the organization's 50th anniversary, the CRA is planning to host a gala on September 22, along with exhibits and project presentations in San Francisco.
"We will start the day by offering people to look at some of our exhibits and works that we have done throughout the years. We will also have a silent auction and any money we raise will go to our humanitarian aid programs," Sabelnik said.
The gala will take place in San Francisco, where the organization is headquartered.
The CRA also plans to present a two-volume book about its history and initiate discussions on two historical Russian forts in the United States — Fort Ross in California and Fort Elizabeth in Hawaii, she said.
Speaking of humanitarian activities, Sabelnik said the CRA used to support numerous programs financially assisting Russian orphans and orphanages, blind and handicapped children; provide aid to those in need; assemble and send hundreds of containers of clothing, food, medicine to help underprivileged and needy children and families after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Currently, the CRA is partnering with other organizations engaged in humanitarian projects, including the Russian Children's Welfare Society, Russian Children's Benevolent Society in Los Angeles, Russian American Community Services, churches and other community organizations.
"So, we do go through our partner organizations to help humanitarian aid programs," she said.
Sabelnik also said that the CRA during the celebration will induct composer Sergei Rachmaninoff and Russian-American singer Nikolai Massenkoff into its Hall of Fame. Until recent years, the congress' bylaws said Hall of Fame members had to be living, so Rachmaninoff was not inducted earlier.
The CRA president pointed out that Rachmaninoff’s contribution to the Russian and American cultures is significant and characterized him as being one of the most modern Russian Americans.
"I think Rachmaninoff is very famous here in the United States as a Russian composer, and in Russia, of course. But he spent many years in the United States, so he is a Russian American," Sabelnik added.
