Sunday, October 31, 2010
End of a Polish American Newspaper
It's time to say good bye to another ethnic newspaper. After 51 years serving the Polish-American community with an English language weekly newsletter, the Polish American World published its final edition on October 22. In the end, it was the skyrocketing cost of printing and distributing that led to the demise of the paper, and the elderly owners were not interested in further pursuing an online edition.
Do widzenia Polish American World!
Do widzenia Polish American World!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Ethnic heritage and governor's races
Two northeastern gubernatorial races this year offer us a chance to review how ethnic identity still impacts politics in 2010.
The last time Maine had a Franco-American governor was the 1800's. That could change now that Republican Paul LePage is running for governor. An article looks at the impact of Franco-American heritage among Maine's potential voters.
Meanwhile in New York, the governor's race is a match between two Italian-Americans: Republican Carl Paladino, and Democrat Andrew Cuomo. The heated campaign raises the question if politics has moved beyond the old ethnic stereotypes or if it is actually reinforcing long held myths of Italian-Americans.
The last time Maine had a Franco-American governor was the 1800's. That could change now that Republican Paul LePage is running for governor. An article looks at the impact of Franco-American heritage among Maine's potential voters.
Meanwhile in New York, the governor's race is a match between two Italian-Americans: Republican Carl Paladino, and Democrat Andrew Cuomo. The heated campaign raises the question if politics has moved beyond the old ethnic stereotypes or if it is actually reinforcing long held myths of Italian-Americans.
Fewer immigrants Anglicizing names
Common practice in the 19th and 20th centuries was for immigrants arriving in America to Anglicize their names. The idea was that immigrants would change their original name to a more Anglicized version to facilitate assimilation into American culture. For example, the German "Schmidt" morphed into the Anglo "Smith". In other cases, changes occurred when immigration agents shortened or transliterated names from foreign alphabets, notably from Cyrillic and Greek.
This is no more the case. Fewer than one in six immigrants applied to change their names on naturalization forms according to the US government. There's even less Anglicizing of stage names in Hollywood. The Swiss surname of Renée Zellweger and the Armenian surname of the Kardashian sisters have served their careers well. Compare that to a generation ago when these actresses might have been encouraged to give up their family names for something more Anglo.
It shows an America that's increasingly tolerant. One that does not expect people to sever ties with their ethnicity in exchange for for success. You could even say that embracing one's heritage makes a person's narrative more compelling, compared to those who downplay their heritage in an attempt to fit in.
This is no more the case. Fewer than one in six immigrants applied to change their names on naturalization forms according to the US government. There's even less Anglicizing of stage names in Hollywood. The Swiss surname of Renée Zellweger and the Armenian surname of the Kardashian sisters have served their careers well. Compare that to a generation ago when these actresses might have been encouraged to give up their family names for something more Anglo.
It shows an America that's increasingly tolerant. One that does not expect people to sever ties with their ethnicity in exchange for for success. You could even say that embracing one's heritage makes a person's narrative more compelling, compared to those who downplay their heritage in an attempt to fit in.
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