Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com.
Thank you for reaching out to Maine photojournalist Michael Seamans and reporting his personal experiences documenting the plight of Ukrainian refugees in the BDN’s April 1 editorial. Lamenting that he sees a drop in the amount of financial aid to assistance efforts, he worries that people are losing interest. He asks us not to fly a blue and yellow flag outside our home, but to give money to direct aid organizations instead.
If we agree with Seamans that this “disgusting evilness” is preventable through awareness, then please, yes give money and fly the Ukrainian flag. The more we see the symbols of Ukrainian resistance in our daily lives, the more heart we’ll have to not turn away from stories of immense suffering. The BDN can do its part by keeping stories about the conflict on the front page, above the fold.
On Sunday, April 10, I’ll be leading a class in traditional Ukrainian egg decorating at the Church of Universal Fellowship in Orono. We’ll be collecting donations for Doctors Without Borders to support relief efforts in Ukraine while sharing a part of Ukrainian culture handed down to me by my grandparents. Please be part of the solution in any and all ways that you can.
Sandra Cyrus
Orono