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10 articles

Gjakova to Garcia: Albanian-Americans Are Taking Their Real Last Names Back

Gjakova to Garcia: Albanian-Americans Are Taking Their Real Last Names Back

For decades, Albanian surnames got clipped, swapped, or quietly buried at the border. Now a growing number of Albanian-Americans are digging through immigration records, hiring genealogists, and filing legal paperwork to bring those names back — and the reasons why say everything about where this community stands today.

Voices Before They're Gone: Albanian-American Youth Race to Rescue the Heroic Epics of Their Grandparents

Voices Before They're Gone: Albanian-American Youth Race to Rescue the Heroic Epics of Their Grandparents

Across the US, a quiet but urgent movement is taking shape as young Albanian-Americans grab voice recorders and sit down with their grandparents before it's too late. They're capturing the këngë e kujtesës — songs and epics of memory — and turning them into podcasts, digital archives, and live performances. But keeping these ancient stories alive means wrestling with a big question: how do you honor something you barely grew up knowing?