"Memory and Identity. Conversations at the Turn of the Millennium” is the last book of Pope John Paul II, published on February 23, 2005, that is, a few months before his death. This book is a collection of the Pope's philosophical and historical reflections on topics such as democracy, freedom and human rights, patriotism and the totalitarianisms of the 20th century. This book was inspired by the Pope's conversations with two Polish scholars at Castel Gandolfo in 1993: priest professor Józef Tischner and professor Krzysztof Michalski. It explains many issues, although it does not use specific definitions. It would be too easy. So, let's use the simplest encyclopedic definition to help us understand what the American Polonia's identity is based on.
The national identity of the Polish diaspora is a sense of distinctiveness from other nations and ethnic groups, shaped by nation-forming factors such as: national symbols, language, national colors, awareness of the origin, national history, national consciousness, blood ties, attitude to cultural heritage, culture, territory, national character and Catholic religion. To this should be added the influence of the culture and values of the countries of residence, in our case, the American ones, which undoubtedly include freedom of speech guaranteed by the American constitution and other elements of culture such as independence, equality before the law, openness, striving for effective action. Undoubtedly, Poles living and functioning in American society have those values that enrich the Polish ethnic group in the United States. Hence the irritating misunderstandings between Warsaw and American Polonia, where Poles from the Vistula River, brought up in post-communist cultural patterns, are irritated by assertive Poles from overseas with their optimism, with the belief that what they undertake must bring a measurable effect. All those who, after arriving in America, are unable to leave behind the typical Polish way of thinking, as perpetuated in the communist era, that "it will definitely fail", will never achieve any success in America. The governments of the Second Polish Republic had problems with Poles from the USA, when the Polish delegation from the USA did not want to join the world Polish organization "Światpol". Successive governments of the Republic of Poland after 1989 have similar problems, which, just like before the war, are trying to subjugate the Polish diaspora for the needs of the ad hoc foreign policy of individual governments. It is worth finally understanding the simple facts after all these years and painful experiences. We are connected by Niepodległa, but in America, after many years of living here, we have our own individual way of seeing the world and Poland, sometimes coinciding with the way Poles think at home, but we will always change this world in our Polish American way. And even the best-written program of cooperation between Poland and the Polish diaspora, which does not consider this cultural difference, cannot be applied in America.
What is the difference really? This is due to a simple fact: 19th and 20th century emigrants from Eastern Europe, arriving in America, made a huge civilization leap. From a Galician hut with a threshing floor, they went to houses with electricity, which after some time were within their financial reach. This was the case at the end of the 19th century and in the 20th century. However, the communist period cut off contacts with Poland and Americans of Polish descent began to assimilate.
In order to stop this phenomenon, an effective policy of acculturation of the Polish community in the USA should be created. Finally, this process should be coordinated with Polish diplomatic missions. Acculturation, in short, means getting to know and functioning in a different culture without losing your own. In order not to lose your own culture, you have to actively do something for it. Under the partitions, it was already successfully done by Polish leaders of organic work in Greater Poland. The following deserve special memory: Count Dezydery Chłapowski - the creator of modern agriculture, Karol Marcinkowski - a doctor, social activist, the initiator of the construction of the "Bazaar" - a center for economic thought and patriotic actions, Hipolit Cegielski - the founder of industrialization, priest Piotr Wawrzyniak, the creator of cooperative movement, Maksymilian Jackowski, a real creator " agricultural circles ”and many, many others. Leaders of organic work should be an example for us, but this time organic work must focus on building a Polish civil society in America.
At this point, it is imperative to encourage Americans of Polish origin to actively participate in Polish and American politics. We must have representatives in the Congress, the Senate, government agencies and state authorities, but also in Polish power structures and advisory bodies. We must professionalize the Polish community media and reach 10 million Polish Americans with this narrative. The essence of these activities is also reaching the intellectual base of the Polish community: university professors, doctors, engineers, lawyers, businessmen, journalists, priests and people of culture.
On what foundations is the identity of the American Polonia built? The identity of the Polish diaspora is primarily our Blue Army volunteers (we know very little about them, and the Poles scattered around the world and in Poland almost nothing) are the Auxiliary Corps of Ladies, volunteers helping in the recruitment and training of volunteers, helping soldiers during the war and veterans after demobilization Blue Army. During the Independence Day celebrations, it's time to celebrate the memory of these soldiers, find their graves and tell their stories. There are hundreds, thousands of forgotten activists working towards Poland's independence (including the forgotten Jan Smulski from Chicago - the first Polish millionaire and banker, close associate of Paderewski). It's Dr. Teofil Starzyński, activist of the Polish community, falcon and independence movement. It's 150 thousand. displaced persons (Polish officers, intelligentsia, refugees who could not return to Poland), hundreds of activists of the Polish American Congress are the clergy building Polish churches and parishes - the foundations of Polishness in America. Among them there were such outstanding clergy as: Fr. Moczygęba from Texas, Fr. Józef Dąbrowski, Fr. Wacław Kruszka and Wilchelm Grutz, or Bishop Kozłowski from Milwaukee, who built the local structures of the Polish community, which have lasted to this day. These are the great presidents of the KPA: Karol Rozmarek, Antoni Mazewski and Edward Moskal. These are congressmen Klemens Zabłocki, Jerry Kleczka, Dan Rostenkowski, Dan Lipinski, Marcy Kaptur. This is 9 million signatures collected by the Polish community in the USA when Poland joined NATO. And finally, the uncompromising actions of the Polish community in the defense of the Katyń monument and the action against heirless claims and hundreds of millions of dollars, which, according to the World Bank, flow to Poland every year in amounts comparable to investments of large corporations. It is bilingualism and the importance of the Polish language as a tool for the survival of our centuries-old culture abroad. These are our original names and surnames.
This is our Polish identity, based on the Polish raison d'état here in America, and you must write about it all, make films, broadcasts and tell young generations. Telling clichés: that the status of our organization does not allow us to undertake such activities, or that we are only a cultural organization and we must remain apolitical is a cynical nonsense that drags the Polish community to the bottom. Try to tell this to other ethnic groups: Mexicans, Jews or even Hungarians, who are very few here, but are appreciated by Prime Minister Orban. If we want to survive overseas as a Polish diaspora, it's time to get down to work, organic work.
