"Let Me Tell You a Story...": CMHS Immigration Symposium and Book Re-Launch
The Canadian Macedonian Historical Society’s 2007 symposium, "Let Me Tell You a Story…," served as a vital bridge between academic scholarship and personal heritage by documenting three distinct waves of Macedonian immigration to Canada. Moderated by Dr. Lillian Petroff, the event featured five speakers who shared intimate narratives spanning from early 20th-century "pechalbari" (migrant workers) in small-town Ontario to post-war Begaltsi refugees and modern-day professionals. A cornerstone of the afternoon was the re-launch of Prof. Harry Herman’s Men in White Aprons, a work that highlights the community's entrepreneurial resilience in the restaurant industry as a response to ethnic marginalization. By blending oral histories with formal research, the symposium reinforced the Society's mission to preserve the fragile cultural legacies of the diaspora, ensuring that future generations remain connected to the foundational struggles and successes of their ancestors.
