Founded | 1922 |
---|---|
Founder | Anastas Stephanoff (first president) |
Type | Cultural and political |
Focus | Continue to work for human, civil and economic rights for all Macedonians of the world |
Location |
|
Area served | United States Canada |
Members | N/A |
Key people | Steve Petroff (President) Lupka Baloski (Vice President) |
Website | macedonian.org |
Macedonian Patriotic Organization (MPO) is a diaspora organization in the United States and Canada.[1] It was founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States, in 1922, by Macedonian Bulgarian immigrants originating mainly from Greek Macedonia. It was originally called the Macedonian Political Organization but changed its name to the current one in 1952.
The initial objective of the MPO was to advocate for a solution to the Macedonian Question in the form of an independent Macedonian state, in which all ethnic groups would enjoy equal human rights and freedoms.[2][non-primary source needed] Over the decades, the MPO has evolved significantly, and today it is a not-for-profit corporation that promotes and preserves the customs, history, and traditions of Macedonian-Americans and Macedonian-Canadians.[3][non-primary source needed] In the past, the organization has generally promoted the view that Macedonian Slavs are Bulgarians,[4][5] but today it claims to unite both Macedonian Bulgarians and ethnic Macedonians.[6][7] The MPO supports the independent Republic of North Macedonia and is involved in pro-Macedonian advocacy within the US and Canada.[8]
Since 1927, MPO has published Macedonian Tribune, the oldest continuously published Macedonian newspaper in the world. Originally published in Bulgarian,[9] the paper gradually began including articles written in English,[10] before finally transitioning into its current, English-only format, in the early 1990s.[11]