Moderne Francos

Growing up in Manchester, New Hampshire, I was torn between two cultures, two languages and two worlds. Questioning what was happening to the north of me, in modern day Québec, my family’s motherland. Can Franco-Americans ever find peace within two cultures? What if I were the last Franco-American?

Rémi Francoeur, The Last Franco-American 

Rémi Francoeur is a writer on a mission to reclaim the Franco-American story. Born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire, he describes his life as living between French-Canadian and American culture. 

Although Francoeur has been living in Montreal, Québec, he couldn’t help but notice how different he was as a Franco-American even when living among other Francophones.

He realized how many Franco-Americans never grew up speaking French, making him feel like the last person of the younger generations to speak the language. 

He began to write his book about these experiences, calling it “The Last Franco-American.” 

With this book as his ongoing passion project, he wants to bring more understanding and pride to Franco-American culture by sharing his own experiences and adding the experiences of other people who had to rediscover their own Franco-American heritage. 

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Let’s go over the Franco-American flag I mentioned in my first post. 

Each color and symbol represents an aspect of the Franco-American story. 

So let’s break it down: 

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Have you ever been asked, “So what’s your background?” 

And if you answered with, “I’m Franco-American.” 

Most likely, you’ve gotten this response: 

“……what is that?”

This is what I hear every time I am asked this question. No joke. 

Even in New England, the term Franco-American is unrecognizable among many people. Which is funny, because our community used to be well-known for their work in the textile mills back in the day; say 50+ years ago.

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