Make beets not war

Ukraine’s people are defending far more than their own sovereignty and national identity. Their struggle is also a fight to protect sovereignty, democracy, freedom – ultimately the right of all nations to freely choose their own destiny and live in peace.

It is so important to keep the eyes of the world on Ukraine, which is why we continued the Ukraine: Defending Freedom campaign with the Superhumans Center in New York. If you haven’t seen our 3 Second Goodbye videos, please watch, share and record your own.

After we opend 3 Second Goodbye, I walked down the road to Little Ukraine in the East Village to meet the team behind Veselka – and try their beloved Ukrainian food. Veselka, which means rainbow in Ukrainian, was founded by Ukrainian refugees Volodymyr and Olha Darmochwal in 1954 and is now ran by their grandson, Jason Birchard.

Over some Ukrainian soul food – the pierogi was my favourite – Jason shared how Veselka supports the local community and ongoing humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. I particularly loved some of the artwork made by community members, and of course a Make Beets Not War painting. Thanks for having us Jason and team, and Slava Ukraini!