''Hunky'' is an ethnic slur used in the United States and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

to refer to immigrants of Hungarian or

Slavic Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slav ...

descent. It originated in the coal regions of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

and

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, where immigrants from Central Europe ( Hungarians (Magyar),

Romanians Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...

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, Slovaks, Rusyns,

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) came from the

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to perform hard manual labor in the mines. They were called "hunkies" by the American public, which lumped them together into a category of

immigrants, irrespective of their individual ethnic background. The term as an ethnic slur has fallen into disuse, but the term ''hunky'' and the public image associated with it has historic relevance in the perception of Slavic immigrants in the United States. There is some usage of the term in other forms; for example, in regions of Pennsylvania, any mill worker may sometimes be referred to as a ''mill hunky''.

History

The terms ''hunky'' and ''bohunk'' can be applied to various

and Hungarian immigrants who moved to America from the

. The immigrants came en masse prior to the turn of the twentieth century (starting around 1880) seeking opportunity. The Hunkies' image was a departure from Hungarian prestige that peaked around

Lajos Kossuth Lajos Kossuth de Udvard et Kossuthfalva (; ; ; ; 19 September 1802 – 20 March 1894) was a Hungarian nobleman, lawyer, journalist, politician, statesman and governor-president of the Kingdom of Hungary during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, r ...

's visit in 1851–1852, aka Triumphal Tour.

Image

Slavic immigrants settled in highly industrial areas and shaped the culture of certain towns and cities. Native residents referred to them as ''hunkies'', and in areas of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. Many Slavic-Americans do not identify with the term and take offense, whereas others are proud of their heritage and the culture their immigrant ancestors created and do not consider the term offensive. In 1990, artist Luis Jimenez made a 15-foot fiberglass statue and named it "Hunky – Steel Worker", and the sculpture was chosen to be among the hallmarks of that year's

Three Rivers Arts Festival Three Rivers Arts Festival is an outdoor music and arts festival held each June in the Downtown district of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The festival features live music and performance art, as well as visual art and vendors who sell their wares. The ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

. The title was protested, saying the word "Hunky" was a slur, and the protest was joined by local politicians. Jimenez said the title was meant to honor the history of low-wage laborers in

Western Pennsylvania Western Pennsylvania is a region in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the Unite ...

, but gave his approval to have the word "Hunky" sandblasted off, so the title became simply "Steel Worker". In 2009, ''Hunky Blues – The American Dream'', a film by Péter Forgács, premiered at the

Museum of Modern Art, New York The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, and includes over 200,000 works of arc ...

, and National Gallery, Washington, D.C. Forgács, a Hungarian filmmaker, composed the poetic documentary exploring the fate of the hundreds of thousands of Hungarian men and women who immigrated to the United States between 1890 and 1921. Forgács constructed the film from segments of early American cinema, found footage, photographs, and interviews. The film considers difficult moments of arrival, integration and assimilation, and the pursuit of the immigrants and their descendants toward achieving the

American Dream The "American Dream" is a phrase referring to a purported national ethos of the United States: that every person has the freedom and opportunity to succeed and attain a better life. The phrase was popularized by James Truslow Adams during the ...

References