December 2022 – West Side, Manhattan:
It was an epic night of Ukrainian dance music in New York City – But not a typical party night. This night was action packed with the hottest Ukrainian dance music hosted by Daria Kolomiec, the well known activist, DJ and Time Magazine’s Next Generation Leader. NYC VIBE was invited to meet Daria and discuss her contributions to the war effort.
While there were smiles, there was an undercurrent of deep concern of what is happening back in Urkraine – with reports of daily bombings and fighting int he villages – many who are related to the people that were on hand to greet Daria.
Ukrainian culture is Kolomiec’s own personal front line in this war. In June, she traveled to New York City with a bag full of rare vinyl records to introduce Americans to Ukrainian artists such as Volodymyr Ivasyuk, who many Ukrainians believe was assassinated in 1979 by Soviet authorities. Then as now, Russia has been trying to quash Ukrainian identity, Kolomiec says. “It was repressed for centuries,” she says. “Now I can share it with people, and they can love it too.”
Daria hosts the “Diary of War” podcast which is an outlet to express her horror and sadness over the daily news from relatives and friends coming from back home.
The organization behind the night, Victory UA, is based in New York City, using funds raised to directly impact the lives of Ukrainians coming to America and their families in Ukraine. By hosting fundraiser parties and networking events, the hope is to unite Ukrainians and businesses in the USA looking to hire to help give stable sources of income to Ukrainians struggling every day.
By assisting individuals in earning a living here, Victory UA is also helping family members in Ukraine, as every Ukrainian working in the USA sends what they make back home to support their families to survive another day.
100% of the proceeds from the night went towards Ukrainian causes.
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