A Ukrainian mother who worked for a Palo Alto start-up and her children mark one of the most infamous scenes of death captured in Ukraine.  

A Ukrainian American 17-year-old junior from Los Gatos High School, representing Ukraine as an international fencer, has barely escaped the conflict, forced to leave her grandmother behind.

Stories like these of devastating destruction from Russia’s invasion into Ukraine are flooding our social media, defining our TikTok pages and Twitter feeds. This once-in-a-century crisis, even on the other side of the globe, affects all of us.

Russia launched its attack on Feb. 24, with missiles hitting Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, and several other cities. Although the invasion has sparked outrage from around the world, Russia’s offensive continues, consisting of multiple ground onslaughts and air strikes. Nearly four million people have fled Ukraine, taking refuge in neighboring countries such as Poland and Hungary.

While those directly impacted by the invasion may come from a different background than us, it’s important to remember the similarities we share. We are all humans, and that allows us as the Harker community, both students and staff, to empathize with the afflicted. 

By grounding ourselves in the reality of the situation in Ukraine, we can work towards concrete actions to help those affected. 

The Harker community has worked together to construct avenues through which we can provide aid from March 14 to March 25. Associated Student Body (ASB) has established a GoFundMe page to facilitate gathering proceeds for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), an organization centered around protecting and aiding refugees. Since a majority of the refugees are women and children, Women for Women International has created a separate donation fund specifically for women facing the crisis in Ukraine. 

Through events hosted by the ASB Food Subcommittee and other student organizations, our community can contribute to safeguarding people displaced by the violence in Ukraine. 

Outside Harker, the San Jose Peace and Justice Center and San Jose Friday Peace Vigil led a protest for a ceasefire in Ukraine at the Peace Crossroads. 

As the combat progresses, headlines will change and misinformation will spread. 

Re-contextualized media, including photos taken in other military conflicts portrayed as taken in Ukraine, pervade social media platforms aiming to influence viewers’ perspectives. Information obtained through word of mouth often becomes distorted from person to person, losing its original context in the process. Fact checking data through credible sources not only limits the circulation of inaccurate claims but also helps correct existing errors. 

Harker Journalism will strive to provide current and accurate updates to address concerns surrounding community initiatives and the situation in Ukraine as a whole. Visit our “explainer” site about Ukraine for detailed responses to frequently asked questions we’ve heard around campus. If you have specific questions about the conflict, reach out to us through email or social media (@harkeraquila) and we will work to answer them.

Other sites that we trust include BBC and NPR, which have additional information from sources around the world. 

Even though the conflict takes place overseas, we are not powerless. We can still make a difference from here.