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Last Friday was a nice reunion of sorts. A few of us gathered in Manchester, NH, for a night of food, fun and discussion about the state of all things Franco. One of the biggest take-aways was how much Franco American presence exists, but how little it seems to be recognized. One could take the glass half full or glass half empty- that’s up to the reader- but I’m going to toss out some thoughts on both sides.
Friday morning, I arrived at MHT airport and immediately started looking for the Franco American presence as a bit of a litmus test. Everyone knows the story of the Petit Canda’s in the Northeast, so there's no sense in rehashing that. On a local scale, most can recite that the Petit Canada of Manchester was the West Side. To better gauge things, I avoided the West Side and drove through downtown on my way to my hotel. In doing so, I passed streets like Bellevue, Tessier, and Belair, as well as businesses including Chalifour Florist, Bouffard Funeral Home and Courville Company. While I was actively looking for names like these, the fact remains that they were present throughout the city. Following check in and a short work call, I spent the afternoon at a nearby Franco owned winery (LaBelle) in Amherst. The focus was Manchester, but the LaBelle experience was too good to leave out.
The main event occurred in the evening. Seven of us gathered at a Manchester restaurant owned by a pair of Quebecois. The Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich was no longer on the menu, but poutine was on full display. Following some food and a few drinks we were off to the Tri Town Arena to see the local junior hockey team- coached by a Franco American. The day’s events left no doubt: the Manchester Area, with its people, places and businesses, is still showing it’s “Frenchness”
The discussions of the night continuously highlighted the Franco presence in the region, primarily the Franco American institutions and individuals actively promoting our heritage.
Institutions such as the Acadian Archives at UMaine Fort Kent, whose annual lecture series showed incredible growth in both the number of attendees and geographic reach, continues to be a model. Genealogy-wise the ACGS Library in Manchester with it’s annual Fall Conference, and the Vermont Genealogy Library with its recent presentation on “French Lake Champlain” continue to showcase the Franco Legacy of their regions. The Alliance Francais of Maine hosted it’s French Film Festival which took over downtown Portland for 3 nights and is said to have gained over 100 new members as a result. The USM Franco American Collection's recent Franco Author Rassemblement, as well as the revival of it’s Pathways Podcast is showing that Lewiston is still in the game. These institutions are clearly leading the way. Many institutions still exist in the Northeast with vital roles to play.
Personal projects also highlighted the evening’s discussion, showing the determination of many individuals in the area. Tim Beaulieu’s expansion of his annual PoutineFest to Maine was a massive success, Jesse Martineau and Mike Campbell discussed the status of the upcoming season on the French Canadian Legacy Podcast, with 3 episodes recorded to date, and Melody Keilig (Desjardins) continues to refine the annual Young Francos Summit as well as her Moderne Francos blog. Most of the conversation took place in English, but I was more than happy to have segments happening in French. As the generation to grow up without the language, it showed we can still learn, and that that critical aspect of our heritage isn’t done yet.
To this point, I can take all of this as a “glass half full,” but there was definitely a miss. WE discussed these things, spoke some French, and recognized everything around us. However, no one recognized US. I had imagined that a group engaged in passionate, targeted discussions, and occasionally using a language other than English, would have led to at least SOME questions from those around us- a server, fellow patron, or a passer-by. “So what’s this group all about?” “Were you speaking French?” “Were you referring to the French Canadian Legacy Podcast?” “I heard you talking about….” Sadly, none of that happened.
One of two things could explain this. Since we are everywhere, there's a slight probability that what we did wasn’t seen as out of the ordinary. However, I think that would be wishful thinking. The other, more probable, option is that we exhibited what Author Dyke Hendrickon titled “Quiet Presence.” That night, we were too small or too quiet. For all the Franco presence around us, we were just seven people in a restaurant. To borrow a concept from an old colleague: 7 people in a restaurant doesn’t grab anyone’s attention; 70 does. 2 people speaking French at a hockey game doesn’t grab anyone’s attention; 20 does.
We have a great on-line presence; there is no shortage of web pages dedicated to our heritage, but we stop there. We blend into the crowd in our cities and towns, opting not to wave our own flag. It doesn't have to be that way. We can be a vibrant living culture rather than something relegated to history books and private, on-line groups. We can make ourselves seen, just as many other cultures are doing. But it takes effort. It’s going to take us approaching society the way we approach social media, and no one’s going to do that for us. It starts with our organizations and moves on to each of us. Whether we're running or participating in our cultural activities, we have the ability to step out from the crowd and be seen. We can be that group that gets noticed and gets to answer those questions from others. It's up to us... and no one else.
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