A proposal for Lexington to become a sister city with a Ukrainian city will be coming before City Council at its upcoming meeting next Thursday, June 26. An exploratory committee made up of residents of Lexington has begun the process, but becoming a sister city will require approval from City Council.
“I think it is a wonderful idea and am grateful for the organizing committee’s efforts to explore how we can partner, connect, and uplift folks in the Ukraine,” Lexington Mayor Frank Friedman told The News-Gazette in an email on Monday. “I know City Council will give thoughtful consideration to this request to ensure any efforts are positive and successful for the greater Lexington community.”
If approved, the committee will determine which city in Ukraine to become Lexington’s sister city, choosing one from a list of cities compiled by Sister City International, the organization that works to establish sister city, county, and state relationships between nations around the world. The goal is to find a city that will match or compliment the attributes that Lexington has to offer. For example, since Lexington has two colleges, a Ukrainian city with an institution of higher learning would be a good match. Other factors that would be considered are Lexington’s draw for tourism, its historic downtown, and the natural resources that surround it.
“While the world is watching and in many cases helping Ukraine survive and overcome the
, page 5 ravages of their invasion and continued attacks by Russia, Sister Cities International is also doing our part to foster and sustain people-topeople relationships between towns and cities in the U.S. and towns and cities in Ukraine, and to use the ‘soft power’ of everyday, local citizen diplomacy, to advocate and support peace at the local level,” said Frederick Blanton, Virginia’s representative to the Sister City International and a member of the organization’s board. “So while we are all hoping for a swift end to this war, and to a victory by Ukraine, Sister Cities International is already looking ahead to a post-war era, when Ukraine will continue to need our help to rebuild and strengthen their towns and cities, and their democracy. We believe our vast network of member cities across the U.S. can come together and support Ukraine, town by town, and city by city, to achieve peace at the local level.”
Blanton will be coming to Lexington on Wednesday, June 25, for a roundtable discussion about the program in the Piovano room at the Lexington branch of the Rockbridge Regional Library. The discussion will run from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The Sister City program was established in 1956 by President Dwight Eisenhower. Today, it has more than 400 member communities with more than 1,800 partnerships around the world, spanning more than 140 countries. More than two dozen Virginia cities and counties currently have at least one sister city or county, and many of those have more than one. Norfolk has nine sister cities around the world – including its namesake, Norfolk, England – while Roanoke has seven, including Kisumu in Kenya, Lijiang in China, Pskov in Russia and Wonju in South Korea. Several smaller cities and towns are also participating in the program. Lynchburg is a sister city with Glauchau, Germany; the town of Herndon is a sister city to Runnymede, England; and Gordonsville is a sister city to Thoré-la-Rochette, France. None of the localities in Virginia that are participating in the program currently have a sister city in Ukraine.
