Ukrainian Independence Day Honored In Marlboro

MARLBORO, NJ — For Mayor Jon Hornik, Marlboro is a "robust, diverse community." And a growing number of people of Ukrainian background live there, he said.

"I've been speaking to a lot of people who identify as Ukrainian, who see it as their homeland," he said.

He and the Township Council recognized the Ukrainian population here with a proclamation honoring Ukrainian Independence Day on Wednesday, Aug. 24.

Recognizing all diverse cultures in the township is important, he said. The township has had an annual Multicultural Day celebration before COVID struck and hopes to revive it next year, he said.

The Asian-Indian population is about 20 percent of the township, he said, and the town is home to one of the largest Indian cultural centers in the country, the Hindu American Temple and Cultural Center on Wooleytown Road.

Hornik and other town and county officials recently marked the 75th anniversary of Indian independence from Britain at the center. The town has also recently set up cricket fields for the English-origin game that is enjoyed by many Indian-Americans here.

Hornik did not have specific numbers on the Ukrainian-background population in Marlboro, but his interaction with residents indicated the community is growing, he said.

And Aug. 24, the date Ukraine marks its independence since 1991 from the former Soviet Union, took on a special meaning this year, six months after the Russian invasion of the country.

"We take where people come from very seriously," he said, and the current war in Ukraine is a reminder of the cultural and patriotic connections people have.

The Township Council's proclamation reads, in part: "On this day, let us recommit ourselves to supporting the Ukrainian nation to reclaim full sovereignty over its international borders and remember the heroes who sacrificed their lives to ensure freedom and happiness for future generations."

President Biden marked Ukrainian Independence Day Wednesday, a day he called "bittersweet," with the announcement of more military aid to the country: approximately $2.98 billion of weapons and equipment, provided through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, for air defense systems, artillery systems and radar systems, among other uses.

The township's proclamation noted that "for centuries" the people of Ukraine struggled to achieve an independent state, "while preserving their culture, language and self-identity."