Macedonian Americans
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Macedonian Americans ( are Americans of ethnic Macedonian heritage.


History


Review

Macedonian national feelings had shifted throughout the 20th century. According to the ''Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups'', almost all of Macedonians in the U.S. until World War II classified themselves as Macedonian Bulgarians or simply as Bulgarians. Nevertheless, the Bulgarian national identification during the late Ottoman Empire, from where most of the emigrants arrived, was based on ethno-religious principles and still ambiguous. Macedonian immigrants identified also as Macedonians. Early 20th century census documents and newspaper articles mention Macedonian language/mother tongue and race/nationality, but that designation was used then mainly as a regional identification. The sense of belonging to a separate Macedonian nation gained credence after World War II, following the establishment of the People's Republic of Macedonia within the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
and the codification of a distinct Macedonian language.


Late 19th and early 20th century

The first Macedonian immigrants to the U.S. arrived in the late 19th century from the Bansko region of what is today Bulgarian Macedonia. These Macedonians had often been educated by American missionaries and were encouraged to migrate to the United States for higher education or to attend missionary schools. But the first large swath of Macedonians came in the early 20th century from the border regions in the north of what is today Greek Macedonia, primarily the regions near
Kastoria Kastoria (, ''Kastoriá'' ) is a city in northern Greece in the modern regions of Greece, region of Western Macedonia. It is the capital of Kastoria (regional unit), Kastoria regional unit, in the Geographic regions of Greece, geographic region ...
(''Kostur''), Florina (''Lerin''), and the south-west of North Macedonia, notably around Bitola. These Macedonians had faced the greatest retributions from the Ottoman military due to the fact that the 1903 Ilinden uprising was centered in these areas. In December 1918 in Chicago was summoned a congress, which lasted a week, where delegates were present. In the course of the First World War events its organizers prepared a mutual agreement about the eventual after-war status of Macedonia. With a great majority the delegates supported the proposal for annexation to Bulgaria. In January 1919 after Bulgaria lost the war, a memoir was sent to the Great Powers, submitted by the Macedono-Bulgarian Central Committee in the US. In it was explained the real motives of Bulgaria to enter the war and it demanded Macedonia to join to Bulgaria.


Between the World Wars

In the 1920s, many Macedonian-Americans became very suspicious that the main Macedonian organization at that time – the Macedonian Patriotic Organization, existed merely to advance Bulgaria's political interests. Thus, some Macedonian-Americans began to form smaller clubs and societies whose members were limited to fellow villagers. Members of these small groups could trust the others in their group, and they knew that they were not being taken advantage of the leaders of the MPO. During 1930s, some Macedonians began to indicate that their nationality was "Macedonian", and promoted this new ethnic identification, following political directives. The first organization in the United States to support the idea that Macedonians constitute a separate nationality was the pro-communist Macedonian People's League. MPL, which was financially supported by the Soviet Union, acted aggressively against the MPO, which it believed was a Bulgarian weapon. Immigration restarted after the wars; most of the new immigrants were from
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
, many of whom had been expelled from Greek Macedonia in the 1920s. The immigrants' organizations used Bulgarian language in their official documents. Since the 1920s and 1930s the
Macedonian language Macedonian ( ; , , ) is an Eastern South Slavic language. It is part of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family, and is one of the Slavic languages, which are part of a larger Balto-Slavic languages, Balto-Slavic branch. Sp ...
has been recorded in American censuses. However, several Macedonian immigrants did list Macedonian as their native tongue in the 1910 U.S. Census.


Post World War II

The aftermath of the war led to a fresh round of Macedonian immigration; 70,000 emigrated to
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 ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, the U.S., and other European countries. The growth of a distinct Macedonian-American community have occurred since the late 1950s, when the first immigrants from Communist Yugoslavia arrived. They have been instrumental in transmitting even the national feelings of the older, pro-Bulgarian oriented immigrants from Macedonia. Most of the American-born people of Macedonian-Bulgarian descent had little knowledge of Bulgaria and increasingly have identified during the second half of the 20th century simply as Macedonians. Still, some remnants of the pre-1945 Macedonian diaspora, from the whole area, have retained their strong regional Macedonian identity and Bulgarophile sentiments, while nearly all post-WWII Macedonian emigrants, from Greece and Yugoslavia, have a strong ethnic Macedonian identity. After
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
liberalized its emigration policies in 1960, another 40,000 Macedonians emigrated during the period 1960-77. Most have been economic migrants rather than political dissidents. At that time most of the Americans born of Macedonian Bulgarian descent have hardly any knowledge of Bulgaria and increasingly began to identify themselves simply as Macedonians.Macedonians in the USA, Politics. Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups, p. 692, edited by Stephan Thernstrom 1980, Belknap Press of Harvard University, Reproduced 2001 with permission of the publisher.


Demographics

A large proportion of Macedonian Americans live in the
New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also called the Tri-State area and sometimes referred to as Greater New York, is the List of cities by GDP, largest metropolitan economy in the world, with a List of U.S. metropolitan areas by GDP, gross metropo ...
and the
Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States (also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. Located on the East Coast of the United States, ...
. Another large cluster of Macedonian Americans lives in the
Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
, particularly
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
, where roughly 10,000 (nearly 5% of all Macedonian Americans) are reported to be living. In 2016 census, Macedonian Americans community reach by 57,221.


Religion

Most Macedonian Americans, especially those immigrating to North America in the last half of the 20th century, belong to the
Macedonian Orthodox Church The Macedonian Orthodox Church – Archdiocese of Ohrid (MOC-AO; ), or simply the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC) or the Archdiocese of Ohrid (AO), is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in North Macedonia. The Macedonian Orthodox Church ...
, under the American-Canadian Macedonian Orthodox Diocese. Macedonian Americans immigrating before that time were generally affiliated with the Macedono-Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Smaller numbers of Macedonian Americans attend parishes affiliated with the
Serbian Orthodox Church The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodox Church#Constit ...
,
Russian Orthodox Church The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...
or the
Greek Orthodox Church Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Christianity in Greece, Greek Christianity, Antiochian Greek Christians, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christian ...
. Through assimilation or intermarriage, many who remain observant are members of the
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
Church and various Protestant denominations. There are about 20 Macedonian Orthodox Churches in the United States, of which all but four are located in the Northeast or
Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
. The oldest parish of the Macedonian Orthodox Church in America is the Macedonian Orthodox Cathedral of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary located in Columbus (Reynoldsburg), Ohio. The parish was organized on September 17, 1958.


Macedonian language in the United States

Three universities in the United States, the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
,
Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...
, and
Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...
, offer
Macedonian language Macedonian ( ; , , ) is an Eastern South Slavic language. It is part of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family, and is one of the Slavic languages, which are part of a larger Balto-Slavic languages, Balto-Slavic branch. Sp ...
courses. Michigan has more Macedonian language speakers than any other state with 4,425. Five more states, New Jersey, New York, Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois, also have more than 1,000 speakers.


Counties by concentration of Macedonians

As of 2000, 0.5% of residents of Hamtramck, Michigan, a city primarily surrounded by
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
, are of Macedonian ancestry.


Culture


Cuisine

Macedonian Americans have been involved in the development of regional food dishes like Cincinnati chili and Coney Island hot dogs.


Media

''Makedonski Glas'' (Trans. ''Macedonian Voice'', ) was a Macedonian independent newspaper that was published bi-weekly in Garfield,
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
. The first issue of ''Makedonski Glas'' was published in November 2004.


Notable people


Arts and academia

* Vladimir Četkar, jazz guitarist * Stoyan Christowe (1898–1995), author and member of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts * Mila Hermanovski (born 1969), costume and fashion designer *
Stefan Janoski Stefan Janoski (born July 18, 1979) is an Americans, American professional skateboarding, skateboarder, artist, writer and musician of North Macedonia, Macedonian descent, who is well known for his signature Nike SB shoe model, the "Nike Zoom St ...
(born 1979), skateboarder and artist * Milcho Manchevski, film director * Darko Mitrevski (born 1971), film director and screenwriter * Stivi Paskoski, actor


Business

* George Atanasoski (born 1952), businessman, politician, and founder of '' Makedonsko Sonce'' magazine * The Ilitch family of Detroit-area businesspeople ** Mike Ilitch (1929–2017), entrepreneur, founder of the Little Caesars pizza chain and owner of the
Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
and
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
** Marian Ilitch (born 1933), wife of Mike Ilitch and owner of Detroit's MotorCity Casino ** Christopher Ilitch (born 1965), son of Mike and Marian, brother of Denise, president and CEO of Ilitch Holdings, Inc. * Katrina Markoff (born 1973), chocolatier * Andy Peykoff (born 1976), founder of Niagara Bottling * Mike Zafirovski (born 1953), president and CEO of Nortel Networks and Board of Directors at
Boeing The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...


Politics

* Jimmy Dimos (1938–2023), politician, former Speaker of the Louisiana House * Tim Goeglein (born 1964), Deputy Director of Public Liaison, Office of Public Liaison, Executive Office of the President under
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
*
Denise Ilitch Denise Ilitch (born November 1955) is a Detroit-area businessperson, lawyer, and member of the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan. She was chair of the board from 2020 to 2021. Ilitch was rumored to be a Democratic Party (United States ...
(born 1955), daughter of Mike and Marian and sister of Christopher (listed above under "Business"), businesswoman, lawyer, and member of the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan * Smile Vojdanov (1872–1958), revolutionary and founder of the Macedonian People's League


Sport

* Vlatko Andonovski (born 1976), former head coach of the
United States women's national soccer team The United States women's national soccer team (USWNT) represents the United States in international women's soccer. The team is governed by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF (the Confederation of North, Central Ameri ...
(2019–2023) * Dino Delevski (born 1976), indoor soccer player * Slobo Ilijevski (1949–2008), soccer player * Brian Iloski (born 1995), soccer player * Tommy Ivan (1911–1999), three-time Stanley Cup winning ice hockey coach * Vlade Janakievski (born 1957), college football placekicker * Kevin Kouzmanoff (born 1981), Major League Baseball third baseman * Jovan Kirovski (born 1976), US soccer player, technical director for the
LA Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...
* Djordje Mihailovic (born 1998), soccer player * Danny Musovski (born 1995), soccer player * George Nanchoff (born 1954), soccer player * Louis Nanchoff (born 1956), soccer player * Paul Naumoff (1945–2018), football linebacker * Sandre Naumovski (born 1979), indoor soccer player * Nina Nunes (born 1985), mixed martial artist * Pete Stoyanovich (born 1967), football placekicker


See also

General: * Hyphenated American


References


Notes


Further reading

* Shostak, Elizabeth. "Macedonian Americans." ''Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America,'' edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 3, Gale, 2014), pp. 141–154
Online


External links


Macedonian Patriotic Organization (MPO)

United Macedonian Diaspora

American-Canadian Macedonian Orthodox Eparchy

Makedonski Glas-Macedonian Newspaper in USA

Macedonian Yellow Pages
{{Macedonian Churches in North America European diaspora in the United States Macedonian diaspora
Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Law of the United States, U.S. federal law does not equate nationality with Race (hu ...