Nicholas C. Pano
(Continues from previous issue)
Although the new arrivals settled in diverse areas of the United States, they were concentrated most heavily in New York, Michigan, and Illinois and became the dominant Albanian element in these areas. Since the new immigrants were divided in respect to their support of the Albanian Communist regime, some identified more closely with Vatra and others with the Free Albania Organization. Both organizations welcomed the newcomers and increased their respective coverage in Dielli and Liria of issues relating to Kosova and Macedonia. The new immigrants, however, did not join either of the established organizations in large numbers, preferring instead to align themselves with the various groups they had formed.
Since most of the new immigrants had come to the United States in family groups, adjustment problems, especially for wives and children, were more difficult than for their predecessors who had arrived as bachelors and did not marry and raise families until they were somewhat established and acclimated to life in the United States. But, despite these problems, the great majority of these motivated individuals quickly entered the labor force. Many, in a relatively short time, have become successful in such pursuits as real estate, finance, construction, and food and lodging, among other areas. This group has also included physicians and lawyers who have qualified to practice their professions in the United States.
Since arriving in the United States, many of the third-wave immigrants have given generously of their time and wealth to promote causes aimed at improving the political and socio-cultural lot of the Albanians of Kosova, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Southern Serbia. They appreciated the need to organize and expend their resources to influence U. S. policy on issues of importance to the Albanian-American community. This realization led to the formation of the Albanian-American Civic League (AACL) in the mid-1980s and the emergence of what has been termed the “Albanian Lobby.” This Albanian lobby resulted from the efforts of many groups and individuals in the Albanian-American community. But Joseph DioGuardi, a former U. S. Congressman from New York of Arberesh origin, played a leading role in this endeavor. Despite some problems that have arisen in connection with the activities of the AACL in recent years, its formation represents a significant milestone in the history of the Albanian-American community. This development marked the beginning of the community’s organized involvement in U.S. politics and ensured that its views on issues of concern to Albanian Americans would be effectively presented in Washington.
In addition to its efforts to ameliorate the plight of the Albanians of Yugoslavia, the Albanian-American community also strongly encouraged political, economic, and socio-cultural reform within Albania. By the late 1980s, even the Free Albania Organization and its newspaper Liria, which had been generally sympathetic to the Albanian Communist regime, joined the ranks of those advocating changes. Prominent Albanian-American intellectuals and academics regularly provided analyses in the U. S. media of the deepening systemic crisis in Albania during the 1980s, and the Albanian Service of the VOA played a significant role in the demise of Albanian communism through its accurate reporting of events in Albania and its broadcast of interviews with respected and courageous Albanian advocates of reform.
The demise of the Albanian communist regime during 1991 sparked the most recent wave of Albanian emigration to the United States. This group, during the past decade, has been comprised mainly of political asylum seekers; students, visitors, and members of Albanian delegations to the United States who fail to return home; holders of U.S. citizenship and their children who had not been able to return to the United States since 1939; and recipients of “green cards.” This latest cohort of immigrants encompasses a broad range of age and socio-economic categories. As with the immigrants from the former Yugoslav Federation, some (mostly families of lower socio-economic status) have experienced difficulties in adjusting to life in the United States. Another major problem has been the unwillingness of most students and many visitors to the United States to return to Albania. This situation has both contributed to the Albanian brain drain and created difficulties for Albanians seeking student and visitor visas for study or travel in the United States.
With the resumption of U.S.-Albanian diplomatic relations in 1991, an Albanian Embassy was reestablished in Washington, and there has been a steady stream of official Albanian delegations to the United States. Owing to financial constraints, the Embassy has been able to engage in only limited outreach activities to the Albanian-American community. In turn some segments of the community, motivated by partisan or personal considerations, have resisted these overtures. Since 1990, as noted previously, each of the four Albanian presidents and other dignitaries who have visited the United States have made goodwill visits to Boston and other major centers of the Albanian-American community. These contacts have emphasized, at least symbolically, the importance that Tirana attaches to the maintenance of a close relationship with this community.
As relations between the Albanian-American community and Albania were being restored during the decade of the 1990s, the community itself was undergoing a transformation. As the remaining first generation of Albanian leaders passed from the scene, the impact of the vacuum created by the “lost generation” became apparent. By the beginning of the 1990s, only a handful of active Vatra chapters remained. Dielli was no longer published on a regular schedule, and the organization might have become extinct were it not for the leadership provided by the New York chapter, which was comprised largely of post-World War II political ꮩgr곮 Given these circumstances, Vatra’s central offices were moved to New York, and Dielli is published from that site. The Free Albania Organization and its organ Liria also encountered difficulties as its membership and subscribers declined. The death of Liria’s long-time editor, Dhimiter Nikolla Trebicka, in the early 1990s and its inability to generate continued support from the community contributed to the demise of this organization and its newspaper by the end of the decade.
Of the major institutions that had made Boston the “capital” of the Albanian-American community, only the Albanian Orthodox Archdiocese remains today. Although the Church had encountered some difficulty following the death of Archbishop Noli in 1965, it had survived this crisis owing to the efforts of dedicated laypersons and clergy such as the venerable businessman and patriot, Anthony Athanas, and the Very Reverend Arthur Liolin, Chancellor of the Archdiocese. Athanas, at the age of 92, is one of the last remaining links to the first generation of the community, while Father Liolin is one of the few members of the “lost generation” to have assumed a leadership role in the community. The future, at least for the near term, of the Albanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America, now affiliated with the Orthodox Church of America, seems assured with the recent consecration of Father Nicholas Liolin, now Bishop Nikon, to the episcopate. It was unfortunate that the Patriarch of Constantinople appears to have reacted to this development by consecrating Father Ilia Katre as Bishop of the rival Albanian diocese formerly headed by the late Bishop Mark Lipa, despite the fact that this body enjoyed only minimal support from Albanian Orthodox communicants in the United States.
By the 1990s, New York City had emerged as the center of the Albanian-American community. Both the 1990 and 2000 U.S. Censuses confirmed that the greatest concentration of Albanians was located in that city. And the city was home to numerous organizations ranging from Vatra and the Albanian-American Civic League to dozens of special-interest groups such as the Albanian-American Women’s Organization, the Sisters Qiriazi, and the United Federation of Teachers Albanian-American Teachers Committee. By the mid-1990s, there were at least four weekly Albanian-language radio programs and one weekly television program available in the city. In 1991, a young, successful Albanian businessman, Harry Bajraktari, established the newspaper Illyria in New York City. With the decline of Dielli and Liria, this new publication has played a major role in the promotion of Albanian democracy and socio-economic reform. Additionally, it has been a tireless advocate in the defense of the political and civil rights of the Albanian population in the former Yugoslav Federation, and has opened its pages to the expression of a broad range of viewpoints on issues of concern to Albanians. Since 1997, Ekrem Bardha, a distinguished Albanian-American entrepreneur and community leader from suburban Detroit, has served as publisher of Illyria. This respected New York-based newspaper, with a circulation of about 10,000, is distributed in Albanian communities of the United States and Europe, as well as in Albania.
Reflecting the shifting demographics of the Albanian-Americans, there were well-organized Roman Catholic and Muslim communities in both New York and Detroit by the 1990s. In addition, there were Muslim houses of worship and cultural centers in Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Florida, and Connecticut. These institutions and organizations have done much to strengthen the cohesion of these groups, as did the formation in 1993 of the Presidency of the Albanian-Muslim Community Centers of the United States and Canada.
Despite the progress in the establishment of religious, cultural, and special interest groups, there is still a lack of coordination and sustained cooperation among the various Albanian-American organizations. Of the current community organizations, the National Albanian-American Council (NAAC), founded in 1996, sponsors the broadest array of programs. NAAC was established to lobby in Washington to influence U.S. policy on issues relating to Albania, and to Albanians residing in the former Yugoslavia and Greece. It has also served as an agency to mobilize public opinion within the Albanian-American community and in the U.S. media on these matters. NAAC has also reached out to the community, especially its youth and recent arrivals, by offering seminars and programs designed to help them adjust to life in the United States and to foster career advancement and personal growth. Unfortunately, the rivalries, divisions, and indifference that exist within the Albanian-American community have up to this point discouraged initiatives to enhance greater cooperation.
One of the memorable manifestations of community unity and resolve during the 1990s centered on the concerted effort to restore U.S.-Albanian diplomatic relations following the demise of the Communist regime. After this goal had been realized in March 1991, the community cooperated in the establishment of such institutions as the Albanian-American Enterprise Fund and the Albanian-American Trade and Development Association. Albanian-Americans serve on the board of both these organizations, which are dedicated to promoting economic development and progress in Albania. Other community members have been involved in projects in such areas as health, legal reform, education, economic development, and religion within Albania. Given the broad array of professional expertise and skills available in the Albanian-American community, the Albanian government needs to develop a realistic strategy to utilize this valuable pool of talent. It also must make a concerted effort to combat the political instability, corruption and red tape that have discouraged greater Albanian-American investment and activity in the country.
The Albanian-American community also played a conspicuous and significant role in the Kosova crisis during the late 1990s. Both the Albanian-American Civic League and the National Albanian-American Council were active in garnering support in Congress and the executive branch for NATO military intervention. The Albanian Congressional Caucus, which had been formed at the behest of the Albanian Lobby and politically active community leaders, served as a useful political adjunct in this endeavor. Beyond this, the Albanian-American community raised considerable sums of money to finance Kosovar diplomatic and propaganda activities and to equip the Kosova Liberation Army. Additionally, a contingent of young Albanian-Americans formed the “Atlantic Battalion” and served in Kosova during the hostilities in 1999. Albanian-Americans both opened their homes to and assisted in other ways thousands of Kosovar refugees during their temporary stay in the United States. Finally, Albanian-American academics and community activists served as analysts and panelists on numerous television and radio programs to ensure that pro-Albanian or balanced perspectives on Kosova would be available to the American and world publics.
The Albanian-American response to the Kosova situation demonstrated the potential of the community for cooperation and concerted action in time of crisis. Unfortunately, the community up to now has been unable to display the same resolve at most other times. The tendency to focus on special interests (such as Albanian partisan politics; developments in Kosova, Macedonia, Montenegro, and southern Serbia; religious and social concerns) and the inability to develop a central coordinating structure suggest that the community is currently incapable of engaging in the sustained cooperation and planning that would enable it to realize its potential for serving its members, Albania, and its compatriots in the Balkans more effectively. The failure to address this issue will in time further erode the cohesiveness and blur the identity of the Albanian-American community. This situation in turn could undermine the significance of the community in U.S.-Albanian relations.
Summary and Conclusions
The comments of President Moisiu during his September 2002 visit to the United States as well as the observations of his predecessors on similar occasions reflect the special affection on the part of the pre-World War II and immediate post-World War II generations of Albanians for the United States and the Albanian-American community. This sentiment stems from the conviction that the Albanian-American community and the United States played a decisive role in the preservation of Albania’s independence and territorial integrity during and after World War I. These Albanians also revere the contributions to Albanian literature and culture of Faik Konitza and Fan Noli, the twin pillars of the Albanian-American community in its heyday. It is interesting to note that these positive attitudes toward the United States and the Albanian-American community have persisted despite the efforts of the Communist regime to downplay the roles of President Wilson and the Albanian-American community in Albania’s history.
Unfortunately, however, younger generation Albanians (those under the age of 30) do not appear to be as well informed as their parents and grandparents about the significance of the Albanian-American community in their national history or to share their elders’ sentiments regarding the community. It is therefore essential, in my view, that ties between Albania and the Albanian-American community be continually nurtured lest they wither.
It is to Albania’s advantage to cultivate a strong relationship with the Albanian-American community. According to 2000 U.S. Census data, there are approximately 116,000 persons of Albanian ancestry residing in the United States. As I have noted, since the Albanian-American population for a variety of reasons has been chronically undercounted in the census enumerations since 1910, it is likely that there could be as many as 250,000 to 350,000 individuals of Albanian heritage in the country. About 90 percent of these reside in states east of the Mississippi River, with the greatest concentration of Albanian-Americans located in the states of New York, Michigan, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida.
According to1990 U.S. Census data the median family income of those who identified themselves as Albanian-Americans was 16 percent above the national average, and 59 percent of these self-identified Albanian-Americans were employed in the managerial, professional, technical, and sales areas. Moreover, the percentage of community members holding undergraduate and graduate university degrees was significantly above the national average for these categories. Even taking into account the impact on the data of the non-reported segments of the Albanian-American population, it is apparent that the Albanian-American community is one of the largest and possibly the best educated in the Albanian diaspora. It is highly concentrated in specific areas of the United States and is generally prosperous. Its demographic profile suggests that the community has the potential to contribute to the development of Albania in a variety of areas. Viewed in this perspective, it is a resource that, up to this point, has been underutilized by both the Albanian government and the growing private sector in the country.
Given the profile of the community, the Albanian Embassy in Washington, working with appropriate Albanian-American organizations and institutions, should seek to identify and inventory the qualifications of community members who might be able to assist in various aspects of the development process in Albania. Those individuals with appropriate skills and experience could be invited to contribute their services for both short- and longer-term assignments in Albania. The nature of their assignments should be commensurate with their qualifications and compatible with their expressed interests. The participants in a program of this type should be provided with housing along with a nominal stipend to cover essential expenses while in Albania. A well-conceived program of this nature could be underwritten in whole or in part by a grant from a national or an international development agency, or even a private foundation. It has the potential to contribute to Albania’s development and to heighten the interest of Albanian-American program participants in Albania and their Albanian heritage.
In a similar vein, the Albanian government needs to make a more systematic effort to establish contact with Albanian-American entrepreneurs, businessmen, and those who hold corporate managerial positions. These individuals will need to be cultivated and, where warranted, formally solicited to invest in Albania or to establish ties with Albanian firms. They could be requested to advise Albanian firms and government agencies on commercial issues. Where appropriate, some of these activities could be conducted in conjunction with the Albanian-American Enterprise Fund or the Albanian-American Trade and Development Association. Beyond this, however, Tirana must give serious consideration to expanding the scope of the commercial activities conducted by its Embassy in Washington and to the opening of a Consulate in New York to promote more meaningful and systematic interaction between Albania and the Albanian-American community. In this connection, the Albanian government should explore the appointment of honorary consuls in Detroit and Chicago and possibly other centers of the Albanian-American community where such representation is presently lacking.
The Albanian government should also become more actively involved in promoting tourism to Albania by Albanian-Americans. This initiative might target those community members who have had limited or no contact with the birthplace of their ancestors. In this context, the government should also explore the feasibility of establishing a summer school and camping program to introduce young Americans of Albanian heritage to the language and culture of their parents and grandparents.
A key factor in fostering a closer and more productive relationship between Albania and the Albanian-American community is ongoing communication and contact with the community. In addition to participating, when invited, in as many community functions as possible, Embassy and U.N. Mission personnel also need to be responsive to communications from community members that fall within their respective areas of responsibility. Given the financial constraints under which Albanian diplomatic posts must function, it might be impossible to distribute on a mass scale a publication similar to the Kosovar magazine URA. It might, however, be possible to prepare an annual newsletter for a selected audience within the Albanian-American community, or to distribute to this group periodic supplements such as the one published in the Washington Times in 2001. For Albanian-language readers, the Embassy might also produce a supplement for distribution by the newspaper Illyria. Additionally it could provide brief recorded features of a non-political character on topics of interest to Albanian-Americans for broadcast on the Albanian-language radio programs in the United States. And, finally, the Embassy should develop an attractive and informative Website with non-partisan content that would appeal to various segments (including the younger generation) of the community. This Website should be well publicized and its content regularly updated to ensure that it will attract a large audience.
Given the changing character of the Albanian-American community, Albania needs to assess without delay its expectations of and its policies toward the community. If the community is to continue to enjoy a special status within the overall context of the U.S. relationship with Tirana and to serve as a resource in Albania’s quest for political democracy, economic development, and social progress, Albania must adopt a more creative and proactive stance toward its American diaspora than has been the case since 1991. Within Albania, the government must give its highest priority to the establishment of internal stability and security, the implementation of legal reform, and the upgrading of the infrastructureءll prerequisites for increased investment, technical assistance and tourism on the part of the Albanian-American community.
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Jurgens, Jane. “Albanian Americans,” in Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, vol. 1, pp. 43-54. New York: Gale Research, 1995.
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Pano, Nicholas C. “The ‘Three Generations’ of the Albanian-American Community.” Paper presented at the Symposium on Albania, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, May 1981.
Rama, Shinasi. “The Albanian Diaspora in the United States and Its Relationship to Motherland.” Illyria, 5-9 April 2002, p.7.
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