A free two-day symposium, “Hunger for Truth: Illuminating the Hidden History of the Holodomor,” will be held Oct. 5 and 6 in the Henry Madden Library, Room 2206, at Fresno State. An essay contest for Valley residents is included.

This year is the 84th anniversary of the Holodomor – the Ukrainian famine-genocide.  “Holod” means “hunger” and “moryty” means to “exterminate” or “starve to death.”

In 1932, Joseph Stalin created a law for the misappropriation of collective farm property, under penalty of death or 10 years of imprisonment, which led to mass arrests and executions in the Ukraine, said Dr. Victoria Malko, Fresno State history professor.

“The symposium is designed to enlighten people about the Ukrainian genocide, perpetrated by the communist regime in 1932-1933, and to help high school teachers, college and university faculty develop curricula for teaching the subject,” said Malko.

Holodomor education fellowships in the amount of $100 are available to history and social science teachers, community college instructors, university faculty, librarians, and those who are interested in the issues of human rights and social justice.

In addition, a Holodomor essay contest will be held for university, college and high school students and San Joaquin Valley residents.

The symposium will open at 2 p.m., Thursday (Oct. 5), with a poster exhibition “History Lessons: The Holodomor of 1932-1933.” The two-day program will conclude with a minute of silence and a commemorative song performed by Ivanna Taratula-Filipenko on Friday (Oct.6).

Renowned speakers from the United States, Canada and Ukraine will share their stories and research findings. Dr. Lubomyr Luciuk, professor of political geography at the Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, Ontario, will be one of the featured speakers.

The program will also include lectures, discussions, documentary and motion picture screenings, poetry reading, and musical performances about the Holodomor. History teachers will have the chance to attend a master class “Teaching the Holodomor in the 21st Century: Teaching Critical and Historical Thinking Skills.”

See the timeline of the events.

The event is co-sponsored by the Department of History of the College of Social Sciences and the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America’s Branch 111 in Los Angeles.

For a free parking code, please RSVP. For more information, contact Malko at vmalko@csufresno.edu

Related links:

Holodomor education fellowshipshttp://fresnostate.edu/socialsciences/historydept/news/holodomor-education-fellowships.html

Holodomor essay writing contesthttp://fresnostate.edu/socialsciences/historydept/news/holodomor-education-fellowships.html