Our common heritage

We are visiting relatives in Washington DC who are descendants of Finns who went to America in the early 20th century. This is part of what makes America interesting - the only native inhabitants are Native Americans, the others being settlers and immigrants who for one reason or another left for the great land in the west (and east, north or south for that matter). The only Finnish heritage I can find in the chart is up at the Canada border but the chart shows majority ancestry. If I'm not mistaken, my grandmother stayed in the same region in the 1920' after not being able to enter New York and continuing to Canada.

Many Americans I've spoken to find it interesting that we are from the Nordic region as so many left the small countries in times of need seeking better fortune in America. In some places the traditions run deep and the interest in our common heritage is still strong. In the end we are all one and the same in this melting pot so we need to stop bickering and start cooperating. That is what we need in these troubled times.

A friend of mine made a documentary on the 110 year old newspaper Norden (link in Swedish) in New York edited by Rune Erik Hermans a few years ago. I couldn't find any links to clips but the article on him is an interesting read on a passionate soul.

Jonas