Monique Martin, second president of the AFLCR, talks about the excitement of initiating new French-language classes in the fall. She talks about Franco-American immigration in the 19th and early 20th century, and the nature of their economy and culture. The name AFLCR, she explains, is an effort to encompass both French-born people now living in northern Vermont and the colleagues and friends in St.-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec.
As for the Franco-Americans, “we try to link these two in some way, but we’ve found that that doesn’t work well. So what we are hoping to do is within our AF we will have Franco-American events and we will have French events, to which everyone is invited, but our Franco American people prefer to be in their culture, with their expressions, accent, and food. It’s different from the culture of France.”
Monique gives a fascinating account of the AFLCR activities and the history of Alliance Françaises in the United States.
She was interviewed by Dennis McMahon for Town Meeting TV’s Positively Vermont, on September 27, 2007, in Burlington.
Watch the video here.