Macedonian Patriotic Organization
Encyclopedia
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1922 by immigrants from Greek Macedonia
Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
. It was originally called the Macedonian Political Organization but changed its name in 1952. From 1926 it has published the newspaper Macedonian Tribune. MPO has stongly promoted the Bulgarian origin of Macedonian Slavs.. Currently, MPO supports also the independent Republic of Macedonia and, in that context, it is involved in pro-Macedonian advocacy within the US and Canada, without recognizing the newly created Macedonian ethnicity.
History
The Macedonian Patriotic Organization of the United States and Canada ("MPO") is the oldest organization of Americans and Canadians of Macedonian descent in North America. Macedonian-American and Macedonian-Canadian immigrants, including several who fought against the Ottoman EmpireOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
during the Ilinden Uprising of 1903, established the MPO in 1922 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. From its inception, the MPO has advocated to organize and educate the emigrants in civil values, and to prepare them for fighting in favor of Macedonian liberation and establishment of “a state unit in order to guarantee constitutional, ethnic, religious, cultural and political rights and freedoms of all of its citizens.” The founders of the MPO, in keeping with the dream of a united and independent Macedonia, adopted the slogan "Macedonia for the Macedonians", a proclamation of William Gladstone, who in 1897 expressed his views on the "Macedonian Question". The use of concepts of “Macedonians” and “Macedonian emigrants” in the first chart are equally valid for all ethnic groups in Macedonia – Bulgarians
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
, Romanians
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
, Turks
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
, Albanians
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
, Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
etc.
The different phases that the Macedonian Question went through have put a pressure upon MPO to develop and enrich its ways and means to achieve its aims. Firmly based upon the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization's (IMRO) rich experience and traditions, MPO has further developed into one of the most interesting and original national-liberation organizations. During 1970s the MPO was against the regime in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
and opposed the past Communist regime in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
. The Macedonian Tribune as its organ printed appeals by the old leader of the IMRO, Ivan Mihailov
Ivan Mihailov
Ivan Mihailov Gavrilov , was a Bulgarian revolutionary in Ottoman and interwar Macedonia, and leader of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization after 1924.-Early years:...
. His memoirs (written in Bulgarian) were advertised by the paper and were avidly read. Although the Macedonian Patriotic Organisation always pointed out that Macedonians are Bulgarians, its activity was centered on Macedonia. A number of the Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
born of Macedonian Bulgarian descent have little knowledge of Bulgaria and often identify themselves simply as Macedonians
Macedonians (ethnic group)
The Macedonians also referred to as Macedonian Slavs: "... the term Slavomacedonian was introduced and was accepted by the community itself, which at the time had a much more widespread non-Greek Macedonian ethnic consciousness...
.http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/1474/skop3wm3.jpg
Over the past 86 years of its existence the MPO has evolved and today acts as a non-profit corporation that aims for preservation of the customs, history, and traditions of Macedonian-Americans and Macedonian-Canadians, and engages in charity work in the United States, Canada, and partially the Republic of Macedonia. Members have been vocal on matters relating to the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
name dispute with Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, and also in celebrating the achievements of Macedonian-Americans and Macedonian-Canadians and their contributions to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and the Republic of Macedonia..
Recent scandals in MPO
The last but one President of the Central CommitteeCentral Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
G. Lebamoff sharply criticized the policy of Republic of Macedonia stating, by this way, hiding the truth about the Bulgarian
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
roots and history of the Macedonian people, it has no future. However on the 2009 convention of MPO, the past president of the Central Committee A. Alusheff illegally expelled MPO "Switzerland of the Balkans" from the MPO for pro-Bulgarian bias. Once Alusheff's mandate expired, the new Central Committee reinstated MPO "Switzerland of the Balkans" asking the chapter to continue its work on restoring the MPO’s historical roots. On the other hand a former chapter of MPO from Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
called "Luben Dimitroff", splintered previously from the Canadian MPO and started publishing another Macedonian Tribune in the pre-World War II Bulgarian orthography, espousing pro-Bulgarian views. This publication has been dismissed as unauthorized by the Macedonian Patriotic Organization.
Chronology
1922 MPO founded, Fort Wayne1925 Macedonian Press Bureau founded, New York City
1927 Macedonian Tribune first published on February 10, Indianapolis
1927 National MPO Ladies' Section founded
1940 Almanac Macedonia published 1946 National YMPO founded
1983 Macedonian Tribune moved to Fort Wayne
1986 Freedom Monument dedicated, Fort Wayne
1990 Indiana Historic Marker dedicated at site of first Macedonian Tribune office, Indianapolis
1994 MPO purchases Macedonian Tribune Building, Fort Wayne
1995 Macedonian Veterans Association founded
1995 Macedonian Professional Association founded
1995 Wreath Laid at Tomb of the Unknowns
Tomb of the Unknowns
The Tomb of the Unknowns is a monument dedicated to American service members who have died without their remains being identified. It is located in Arlington National Cemetery in the United States...
, Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
1996 MPO establishes Homepage on the World Wide Web at www.macedonian.org
MPO local chapters
The Macedonian Patriotic Organization has local chapters in most large cities in the United States, Canada and Brazil, wherever there is a larger number of Macedonian immigrants. The current MPO chapters are:- Chicago, Illinois, MPO "Independence"
- Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, OhioCincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, MPO "Bistritsa"
- Cleveland, OhioCleveland, OhioCleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, MPO " Vardar "
- Columbus, OhioColumbus, OhioColumbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, MPO "Freedom"
- Detroit, MichiganDetroit, MichiganDetroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, MPO "Fatherland"
- Fort Wayne, IndianaFort Wayne, IndianaFort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
, MPO "Kostur"
- Indianapolis, IndianaIndianapolis, IndianaIndianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, MPO "Damian Grueff"
- New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
Region, MPO "Strumishkata Petorka"
- Northwest IndianaNorthwest IndianaNorthwest Indiana, also known as the South Shore and The Calumet Region or simply The Region, comprises Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Newton and Jasper counties in Indiana. This region neighbors Lake Michigan and is part of the Chicago metropolitan area...
Region, MPO "Rodina"
- Phoenix, ArizonaPhoenix, ArizonaPhoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, MPO "United"
- Southern CaliforniaSouthern CaliforniaSouthern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
Region, MPO "Brothers Miladinovi"
- Springfield, OhioSpringfield, OhioSpringfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northeast of Dayton. Springfield is home to Wittenberg...
, MPO "Solun"
- Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, MPO "Liberty"
- Youngstown, OhioYoungstown, OhioYoungstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, MPO "Todor Alexandroff"
- Toronto, Ontario, MPO " Switzerland of the Balkans"
- Toronto, Ontario, MPO "Victory"
- Sao Paulo, Brazil, MPO "Strumishkata Petorka"
See also
- Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization
- BulgariansBulgariansThe Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
- Macedonians (Greeks)Macedonians (Greeks)Macedonians are a regional population group of ethnic Greeks, inhabiting or originating from the region of Macedonia, in northern Greece. Today, most live in or around the regional capital city of Thessaloniki. Many have spread across the whole of Greece and in the diaspora.-Preface:Greek...
Sources
- Sojourners and Settlers: The Macedonian Community in Toronto to 1940http://books.google.com/books?id=7BDcb0uvR7EC&pg=PA149&dq=MPO++Bulgarian+Macedonian&sig=4HC2dwCwj44MWuf5_t6421TMfEw By Lillian Petroff
- Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples http://books.google.com/books?id=dbUuX0mnvQMC&pg=PA292&dq=MPO++Bulgarian+Macedonian&sig=aQ-DJ9_MvrI9CqN_heRHlt06uMc By Paul R. Magocsi
- The Bulgarian-Americans - Page 71 by Nikolay G. Altankov
- An American Macedonian , George Lebamoff