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Stand with Ukraine rally to be held in Boston Common Sunday morning

The Ukrainian Cultural Center of New England will hold its second rally to show support for Ukraine amidst the Russian invasion.

Demonstrators in Boston march during a rally in support of Ukraine on Feb. 27.

March 5, 2022

The Ukrainian Cultural Center of New England will hold a march and rally on the Boston Common Sunday to peacefully protest Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The organization hopes to express solidarity with the victims of the conflict, as well as raise awareness about the invasion across Boston and New England. The group is also urging local governments to set up donation opportunities.

“I would say our Boston locals are probably the most vocal in the United States,” said Ivanka Roberts, a member of the organization and one of the organizers of the event. “We have amazing support.”

The event will begin at 10 a.m. with a service held at Trinity Church Boston, where Ukrainian students from Berklee College of Music will sing the Ukrainian national anthem.

Following the service, protestors will march down Boylston Street, led by Ukrainian students from around Boston, ending at the Parkman Bandstand in the Boston Common, where a rally will continue for about two hours.

Local Ukrainian community leaders will speak at the rally and read letters from members of Congress and singers from Berklee will perform Ukrainian songs. The Ukrainian Cultural Center expects roughly a thousand people to attend the protest.

This rally marks the group’s second event in support of Ukraine, after a motor rally in Jamaica Plain on Feb. 20. The Ukrainian Cultural Center has also been working with the city of Melrose to set up an aid fund for those impacted by the conflict in Ukraine, according to Roberts.

“A lot of cities around Boston actually got heavily involved in helping to gather humanitarian aid,” Roberts said.

Roberts said she’s personally been closely monitoring the conflict in Ukraine over the last several weeks.

“I have my whole family in Ukraine right now,” Roberts said. “None of them left … they are all actively involved.”

Roberts said her female family members have helped by taking care of children in shelters and sorting incoming aid, while her male family members have helped defend the country by blocking roads.

“When I’m here and I physically cannot really do much, it was important for me to be somehow involved,” she said. “Informational support and coming out and speaking with my neighbors or answering any questions that my neighbors may have. It’s also very important.”