Liudmyla Vusyk, a prominent figure in the Ukrainian diaspora, has passed away

We are deeply saddened to announce an unbearable loss. Today, 21 August 2025, Liudmyla Vusyk, a member of the Southern California Committee on the Holodomor and Genocide and head of one of the departments of the Ukrainian Women’s Union of America in Los Angeles, passed away.

After moving to Los Angeles (USA), Liudmyla Vusyk (as she was known there) spent decades organising cultural and educational projects and participating in student support programmes. The Ukrainian Women’s Union of America assisted in establishing women’s studies at the Ukrainian Catholic University (now the UNWLA Centre for Women’s Studies), where the women’s movement in Ukraine was studied. During this time, many specific courses and online lectures were offered, featuring prominent researchers in the women’s movement, and numerous students were awarded scholarships to study.

Ms Liudmyla developed the Ukrainian Cultural and Art Centre in Los Angeles. Today, this centre continues to assist Ukrainian refugees and collaborates with the Ukrainian-American community in Southern California to support Ukraine.

Liudmyla Vusyk was a member of the Southern California Committee on the Holodomor and Genocide, which is a partner of the National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide. The Committee disseminates the truth about the Holodomor genocide of the Ukrainian people. Thanks to its efforts, Walter Duranty’s Pulitzer Prize, which he received in 1932 for denying the genocide in his articles published in the New York Times, was revoked. Furthermore, thanks to the tireless work of the members of the organisation mentioned above, the study of the Holodomor genocide of 1932–1933 in Ukraine has been included in the core curriculum for high school students in California. Every year on the fourth Saturday of November, the Committee organises events to commemorate the victims of the Holodomor.

In 2017, Ms Liudmyla participated in the organisation and conduct of the Hunger for Truth symposium (Fresno, California, USA), dedicated to the 85th anniversary of the Holodomor of 1932-1933 in Ukraine. Approximately 200 representatives from scientific, student, and cultural circles in Ukraine, the USA, and Canada participated in the symposium.

Liudmila Vusyk’s family survived the Holodomor, so this topic held a special place in her work. For her work, she was awarded the Order of Princess Olha III degree.

The staff of the National Museum of the Holodomor Genocide expresses its sincere condolences to Ms. Liudmyla’s family and friends. We share your pain and grief, understanding how heavy this loss is for everyone who knew her and worked with her. Her active public activity and dedication to her cause are an example for all Ukrainians.

May her memory live on forever!