SUMMER/ÉTÉ Texte d’une conférence présentée à l’assemblée de la Conférence: The French In New England, Acadia and Québec le deux mai, 1972 help. We are suggesting that we are Monsieur Rioux, Mesdames, foreign language could only be spo- best qualifjed and equipped to make deci - Mesdemoiselles, Messsieurs. Avant de ken in the class where it was taught. sions concerning our lives, concerning the re- parler, j’aimerais dire quelque chose. And there most of the time, the teacher establishment of a living, valid and creative On m’a demandé de résumer ce qui impressed on Franco-phone students that cultural identity in which we can be proud. est en train de se passer ici à l’Université their native language left much to be Hopefully, we can serve as a model for du Maine à Orono. En préparant cette petite desired. The law is no longer on the Franco-Americans here at the University, and conférence, j’ai constaté que nous avons books, but the attitudes are still there. others throughout the State who might have déjà beaucoup accompli; et je vous assure We know there are many Franco- doubts about their cultural heritage - their qu’il est très diffjcile de résumer, en peu phones who are ashamed to be identifjed as ethnicity and its creative force. ;Hopefully, de temps, ce vaste travail que nous avons such. In our very group, French has only be- we can eradicate the dubious value placed commencé. D’ailleurs, ça m’a permis de gun to be consistently spoken within the last on the expression of ourselves as second passer la nuit blanche afjn d’arriver un peu two months. We are scratching the surface. class “Anglo retreads”. A basic change of à écrire nos programmes ici à l’Université. Our cultural identity, and our lan- attitude is needed on the part of our institu- Concerning the Student Affairs Pro- guage have been relegated to an inferior tions, economic, political and educational. gram, which is in the process of development, and unproductive level. We have been led Our program, the members of which I wish to say that it has been conceived from implicitly and explicitly to believe that have contributed freely of their time and a layman’s optic, and that it is a grass roots our culture and language have little value, energies: fjrstly, has had a marked impact program. I would like to preface the actual that they are not viable and meaning- on the participants, in the rekindling of faith enumeration of programs in the works with ful as living realities and experiences. and pride in the potential of a way of life a general view of the basic reasoning which Many Franco-American groups in the and its evolution - not to a reliquary - but to has persuaded us to tackle this vast endeavor. State, as a last resort, concern themselves a relevant and an integrated consciousness The Franco-American program here solely with the collection, preservation and from which we need not be exiled; secondly, at the University of Maine had a somewhat burial of Franco-American cultural items we have gone and are going to considerable insecure birth last spring, when a group of and artifacts. It is my pleasure to announce pain to ensure that we have the space and Franco-Americans--due to circumstances that our group here at the University of freedom to define ourselves, our needs; somewhat beyond their control--found Maine is still living, breathing - does not by fjnding, inventing, creating ways and themselves together in a room, sharing past want to be collected and preserved. We means whereby members can participate and present experiences relating to our edu- may need some restoration. Our pride in on their own terms within the possibility cational institutions. We labored at length, our cultural identity has been damaged but afforded by their resources (fjnancial, intel - in exchanging deeply personal experiences it is well under way to good health. We lectual, emotional); thirdly, we have begun concerning injustices, inequities present in have created some space in this community a multi-faceted endeavor which can begin an educational environment which did not whereby ideas, exchange of ideas concern- to alleviate the inequities and injustices refmect our culture, its values, customs and ing the positive aspects, the assets of our brought about by cultural alienation; by language; an educational environment in cultural identity, are beginning to bear fruit. creating space in which a Franco-American which we had very little, or no meaning- During the past year, with barely token individual can actualize his cultural identity ful input as Franco-Americans. The birth recognition, we have grown to believe that in the pursuit of specifjc goals dealing with literally, experience by experience, that we possibly we can be appreciated to some the Franco fact. The results of our program had forfeited an aspect of ourselves to one degree, if not understood. We have grown cannot be best identifjed by goals attained, degree or another; and that this forfeiture to believe that as Franco-Americans, we information produced, or scholarly works had deprived us of a richness in our lives. can be respected and even be admired to a published; the results are intangible but are The lack of possibility or opportunity certain degree, in spite of the fear and hos- manifested in changes of attitudes in the in our past to fully live our reality as Franco- tility encountered in some cases. We have process of interaction of members who feel phones, and to interact meaningfully in the grown to believe that in spite of the lack of and express positive cultural repatriation. educational system with our cultural reality, fjnancial support; in spite of the prevalent We have involved ourselves in numer- had created an emotional and intellectual ignorance about our contemporary reality, ous areas as Franco-phones: last spring, situation which at one end of the spectrum in spite of the problems inherent in dealing with the help of Jerry Herlihy of the ON- expressed itself: ranging from resentment, with ourselves, each other, and our past WARDS Program, and Kristine Dahlberg to insecurity, loneliness, alienation, disillu- as second class citizens, without a history of Student Affairs, we have instituted a sionment and to very negative self attitudes or a valid culture and language; we have special Orientation Program for incoming on the other end. In short, being French was made an impact on this community. We Franco-American Freshmen at the Uni- not equated with being popular or successful. are not members of Academia, and we are versity. Our group, after hours and days A law on the state books until very not administrators; but we are experts in the of preparation, visited most of the high recently prohibited the speaking of a foreign domain of our individual needs. We are also language in school or on school grounds. A (Continued on page 12) experts in how these needs can best be met. 11
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