Moderne Francos

I have found myself lost with things to say about being Franco-American.

Besides describing myself as a descendant of French-Canadians from Québec, I have found it challenging to find more words to define it.

I’ve seen so many videos while scrolling through social media of other people in my age range sharing aspects of their culture with the world. Either they know the history, they’re learning the language (if they aren’t already fluent), they dance to their culture’s music in their traditional dress, or sing along with their own meaningful songs.

It’s inspiring to see young people embracing their culture, especially online. Every time I see these stories, I badly want to share my own culture in the same way. Although I’ve thought of many ideas to participate in these “culture challenges,” there’s always the imposter syndrome that stops me. 

What is traditional dress for Franco-Americans: do we even have that? Would we adopt the French-Canadian tuque or ceinture fléchée? Or adopt clothing styles that the early settlers of New France wore? And what is our traditional music? Who are we, really? 

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Because of the Québec diaspora between 1840 and 1930, around one million French-Canadians left Québec for New England. With industrialization booming in the United States, they set out for opportunities in the mills. 

Despite the discrimination they faced in their new home, their fate in Québec wasn’t promising with the lack of work. Some stayed in New England, and some went back.

But is this diaspora a reason to support a “birthright trip” to Québec for the descendants of these French-Canadian immigrants?

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