In Rock Hill, a man raises a flag for his neighbor’s grief. It’s the flag of Ukraine.
In a neighborhood in southern Rock Hill, two flags fly. On a quiet street a long-ago immigrant from Canada named Dave Birley at age 87 proudly flies an American flag on a tall pole in front of his home.
But now, on that pole below Old Glory, a second flag flies.
The flag of Ukraine.
The blue for the sky.
The yellow for sunflowers.
Both together for freedom.
The flag was hung to show support for a young lady who lives across the street named Rachel Sartain who was born in Ukraine. And for every other Ukrainian person who is fighting for freedom after the Russian invasion that in weeks has left so many dead or wounded or fleeing from bombing and war.
After Birley ordered the flag, he invited the Sartain family to come across the street to raise it to fly beneath the American flag. Brett and Tara Sartain have five children. Sophia, Caden, Sage, Miles, and Rachel. Rachel is the only one adopted from Ukraine. She came to the family and South Carolina as a teen and now at age 25 works at Family Trust credit union and at Amelie’s bakery in downtown Rock Hill.
The blue and yellow colors of the Ukraine flag hang in a window of the Sartain home. Part of their heart is in Ukraine too.
Rachel’s family is from an eastern province of Ukraine just miles from the Russian border. The Sartains traveled there to adopt Rachel and know the country and its existence in the shadow of Russia.
“The area is as close to Russia as Charlotte is to Rock Hill,” Tara Sartain said.
Rachel has been able to stay in touch with her sister through Instagram and other social media as the war has caused flights to safety, shortages of food, and despair. For Rachel Sartain, television and Internet news of the war is not a story -- it is her family and her people.
“My sister, her husband, my niece, they have had a difficult time in Ukraine,” Rachel said. “They have had to move from city to city because of the bombing.”
Rachel said that while she is American, she will always be from Ukraine and what has happened there breaks her heart.
‘The buildings gone, so many people gone or hurt,” Rachel said. “I love America. There is so much opportunity here. I am so blessed. But I want the war to end. I want Ukraine to be its own country. I want Ukraine to stay free.”
In the past weeks. Rachel started a GoFundMe account to raise money for Ukrainian people to buy food and basics. She has raised almost $5,000.
The Sartain family has raised awareness about the reality for the Ukrainian people in the past month since the Russian invasion. Their social media is full of reminders about Ukraine. They talk about where Ukraine is, and its strong and unyielding people. They are a family that knows the war is not TV news -- it is a fight for freedom and survival.
So when neighbor Dave Birley wanted to raise the Ukrainian flag to fly under the American flag, the Sartain family proudly came across the street to be a part of it. Rachel held the flag of her birth country in her hands.
Miles, the youngest son, did the honors of clipping it to the flagpole and raising it. Rachel stood under both flags that are part of her.
Birley, the neighbor, said the flag will fly as long as the war rages on and the people of Ukraine fight for freedom.
“I just want people to know that Rachel matters, that the people of Ukraine matter,” Birley said. “I believe flying the flag might inspire others.”
Rachel Sartain can see both flags from her window across the street. The flags are hope and dreams and family and resolve.
Like America, Ukraine is part of her.
“I am so thankful to have a neighbor who would care so much about Ukraine and the people,” Rachel said. “It is precious.”.
