The seasons may change, but we continue to stand with Ukraine today and every day.  We hope we can use our small platform to shed light on injustice and inequality around the world and at home.  While things may feel relatively “back-to-normal” in America, the fight for Ukraine’s freedom continues and there are thousands of innocent civilians whose lives have been forever changed by the Russian invasion.  Today marks the 228th day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and currently, Putin is escalating the conflict by signing “accession treaties” formalizing Russia’s illegal annexation of four occupied regions in Ukraine – Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, and Donetsk.  Additionally, Putin is attempting a mass mobilization of at least 300,000 Russian civilians in hopes that additional military forces will help turn the tide in the conquest of Ukraine.

These uncertain times require unity and the one image that continues to arise is that of Ukraine’s national flower - the sunflower. Throughout Ukraine’s history, the flower has been used as a symbol of peace. In June 1996, to celebrate Ukraine giving up nuclear weapons, U.S., Russian, and Ukrainian defense ministers planted sunflowers in a ceremony at southern Ukraine’s Pervomaysk missile base.  A similar planting project occurred in 1986 after an explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant released radioactive material into the environment. Scientists planted sunflowers to remove radioactive elements from the soil and ponds surrounding the power plant. (Fun fact: Sunflowers are hyper-accumulators - plants that are able to accumulate extraordinarily high amounts of heavy metals and radio elements from the soil.) Today, the sunflower remains a symbol of unity, peace, and hope - proudly displayed in support of Ukraine’s citizens and leaders.