TULSA, Okla. — Hundreds marked Ukraine's 35th year of independence inside Circle Cinema Aug. 24 amid ongoing uncertainty, both in the Russia-Ukraine war and with immigration documentation for refugees in the U.S..
"It's pretty incredible that they've been able to be so resilient, to be uprooted and forcibly removed, honestly, from their homelands to come to Tulsa and create this community," YWCA Tulsa's Immigrant & Refugee Services director Molly Bryant said.
"No one actually planned to leave our motherland to flee a war," Igor Ruban told 2 News.
Ruban, born and raised in Khiv, was reunited with his wife and kids in Tulsa two years ago. He now works as a refugee program supervisor with YWCA, which also sponsored the Ukrainian independence event.
Tulsa-based chaplain Karl Ahlgren of Ukraine Action Plan co-organized the celebration, featuring a documentary he was included in while in war-torn areas last year.
"Our film is about trying to help tell that story, tell that story of Ukrainians are strong. They deserve freedom," Ahlgren said.
For the more than 250 Ukrainian refugee families in Tulsa, there are not just bombs keeping them away from home. There's papers and politics threatening their presence in the U.S., as well.
"A lot of Ukrainian families came on a temporary basis with the hopes of applying for more permanent legal status, and the current administration has removed some of those options," Bryant said.
"They don't get any employment authorization extension which means they cannot work," Ruban added. "It's a huge question, a huge issue for Ukrainians."
It is a huge issue these local advocates ask the public to contact Oklahoma's congressional leaders about.
"Our policies right now don't necessarily match what is going on in the world, and people who are seeking safety aren't necessarily getting that safety here in the U.S.," Bryant said.
"(Ukrainians) are working hard, they're paying taxes, (and) they're a part of our community," Ahlgren said.
"We want to have some certainty in the future for Ukrainians," Ruban said. "Freedom is something worth cherishing for everyone."
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