Dear Reader,

 

                        I do not know about you, but when autumn arrives I become sad, sentimental and reflective. For me, is a time to stop and think about many things. Apparently I am not the only one to feel this way because October is a Polish-American Heritage Month. This designation began in1981 in Philadelphia and it was originally celebrated in August at various locations in Pennsylvania. In 1984, after lobbying by the Polish American Cultural Center in Philadelphia and the Polish American Congress, the House Joint Resolution 577 was passed, designating August as the Polish American Heritage Month. In 1986 the designation was changed to October as an aid to the participating schools organizing celebrations during the school year. October is also significant because it was the month when the first Polish settlers arrived in Jamestown, Virginia.

I recently read an article in the Polish American Journa,l titled “Heritage Month is a Time to Reflect on Our Changing Polonia and Its Future.” This article brings up many points that apply to American Polonia in general as well as to our Cleveland Polonia. It reminds us that despite the anti-immigrant groups like the Know Nothing Party, America has provided newcomers with opportunities to cultivate their native traditions. I admit I was not familiar with the Know Nothing Party (also known as the American Party) so I did some research. It turns out it was an American political party that operated nationally in the mid-1850s. The movement arose in response to the influx of immigrants and promised to “purify” American politics by limiting or ending the influence of Irish Catholics and other ethnics, thus promoting nativist and anti-Catholic sentiments. It was driven by the common fear that the country was being overwhelmed, and strove to curb immigration and naturalization but met with little success…

Typically, immigrant groups first saved up to build a church, then a school. Meanwhile, Polonia-serving businesses began springing up in the vicinity, including retail shops, banks, law offices, medical facilities, funeral parlors and Polish-language newspapers and radio programs. Self-aid and burial societies evolved into mighty national insurance fraternals such as the PRCUA, PNA, Polish Beneficial Association, Falcons, Polish National Union and many others. They operated halls which became the hub of the local Polonia’s social, cultural and organizational activities. Polonia was blooming.

That started to change in the later half of the 20th century. Older Polonians died off, and many younger PolAms moved to the suburbs. The heavy industry, the main attraction for the Polish immigrants, was downsizing, moving away or shutting down entirely. Many of the magnificent Polish churches, accompanying parochial school buildings, former rectories, convents and Dom Polski halls still stand but lack the once surrounding Polish neighborhoods to serve. In many areas, the formerly regular polka dances and church picnics are becoming a rarity or are being discontinued entirely.

The author of this article, Robert Strybel, writes: “To some it may seem that Polonia is dying, but in many cases perhaps it would be more realistic to say that it is changing. America as a whole is changing, and Polonia is one of its component parts. It is up to the PolAms themselves to face up to that challenge. Ethnic drift-away, residential dispersal, inter-marriage and geographic mobility requires a different approach than was used in the days of the tight-knit Polish neighborhood.”

And finally, the author deals with the most important point: Why bother about Polonia and our heritage in the first place? The simple answer is that if we don’t promote our heritage, who will? Our lives today are more complex than of our parents, grandparents, and generations before. Modern media has given us the best (and worst) of cultures that at one time would have never crossed our paths. We can learn so much from others, but is useless unless we have something to compare it to. We must first understand who we are and where we came from, a truth that is ageless. This makes us better Poles, and ultimately better people, which then reflects on our heritage and its culture. This is how American Polonia will survive.

 

            Respectfully,

 

            Joseph Hart