U.S. Communities Showing Support for Ukraine

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is at the forefront of the minds of many of us. What is happening in this Eastern European community is gutwrenching to watch.

Not Russia, @CanadaNATO

However, the solidarity that has been shown across the world for Ukraine is eye-popping. Many corporations are cutting ties with their Russian counterparts or refusing to provide their goods and services to the country. Hacker group Anonymous has declared a cyberwar on Russia.

Community leaders in the United States may not have the power to make a difference that corporations and other entities may have to impact this war. Yet, they are still showing support in various ways.

Light it Up

LED lights are being used in buildings and monuments more as their price falls. With some LED’s communities are able to change the color of the lighting of these structures. With a simple changing of attributes within the programming interface, the lights, like those illuminating the entrance sign for Urbandale below, can be changed with relative ease. Sure, the lights may be a simple symbolic gesture that has no direct impact on the war.  But at least it’s a showing of support that keeps the conflict in the minds of our community.

The City of Urbandale supports Ukraine and all of its people in their struggle to remain free. pic.twitter.com/aAQQyiKEif

— Urbandale, Iowa (@CityofUrbandale) March 4, 2022

Sisterly Support

In 2011 the City of Arlington, Virginia, declared a sister city relationship with Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine. They too have used illumination to show their support for Ukraine in the lighting of the Ballston pedestrian bridge. But they haven’t stopped there. As announced through a recent article on their website, the Arlington County Board passed a resolution that condemned the invasion of Ukraine and the attacks on their sister city.

The article on Arlington’s website goes on to provide links to trusted organizations that are providing a variety of services to the Ukrainian people.

Ballston bridge illuminated in blue and yellow in support of Ukraine https://t.co/yPihFPs4Es

— Arlington Now (@ARLnowDOTcom) March 2, 2022

Showing Support for Ukraine as a Rural Community

Apart from the war, rural America should be able to relate to many of the communities throughout Ukraine. A quick look at Wikipedia shows that 268 of the 462 (58%) Ukrainian cities listed have a population below 20,000. It is also one of the largest grain exporters in the world.

Remember, there are various definitions for “Community”, many do not have a geographic context to them.

*If you know of any communities showing support for Ukraine, let me know in the comments below or in the comments on the social media post for this article.