About Simply Slavic
Our Mission
Located in Northeast Ohio, with the City of Youngstown at its center, the Mahoning Valley is known for its rich and storied ethnic heritage. With its large number of Slavic descendants, the region is known for its cherished traditions of food, music, dance, and unique customs.
Simply Slavic strives to highlight and celebrate these traditions and the people who strive to keep them alive. By celebrating and preserving the history and customs of our European forebears, we strive to expand our region’s knowledge of Slavic culture, honor our ancestors, and enrich the lives of others in our communities.
History Of Simply Slavic
Simply Slavic began in 2011 as an annual festival to educate both the region’s large number of Slavic descendants and the community-at-large about Slavic heritage. Today, Simply Slavic has evolved into a movement that enables community leaders to collaborate and improve our region through various initiatives.
Who is a Slav?
Numbering over 350 million, Slavic peoples constitute the largest Indo-European, ethno-linguistic group in Europe. Residing primarily in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, Slavs are defined by their shared linguistic, cultural, and historical ties. The modern-day European nations representing the origins of Slavic ancestry are Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine (see map).
Although Slavs share common ancestral roots, the individual peoples feature a unique cultural diversity. Major religious influences include Orthodox Christianity, Roman Catholicism, Islam, Byzantine, and Judaism, as well as non-believers.
Community Partnerships and Legacy
Simply Slavic Scholarship
In addition to our endowment and collections, Simply Slavic proudly awards an annual scholarship to a YSU student exploring or celebrating Slavic culture. This annual award, which supports tuition, books, and study abroad, is for Youngstown State University (YSU) students—sophomore level or higher, including graduates—who demonstrate a passion for Slavic heritage.
Slavic Collection at the Mahoning Valley Historical Society
The Mahoning Valley Historical Society preserves, protects, and documents the region’s diverse ethnic, industrial, and cultural history. Housed at multiple locations, these collections, which include photographs, documents, and artifacts, highlight the impact of Slavic immigrants in the local steel industry, the traditions of diverse Slavic ethnicities in the region, and their vital role in the area’s development.
Slavic Endowment Fund
Managed by the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley, the Simply Slavic Cultural Preservation Fund supports the annual festival’s mission to educate, celebrate, and preserve Youngstown’s rich Slavic heritage.