An American reporter of Maltese descent has published a book documenting the emigration of thousands of Maltese people to the world’s automotive hub of Detroit.
Seems to be a real heart tug for Malta, even among people with just a few drops of Maltese in their blood
The book, Maltese in Detroit, focuses on Maltese immigrants, as well as their descendants, in Detroit and the surrounding area.
The majority of those who left the island for the US in the first half of the 20th century settled down in New York City, San Francisco, Chicago and Detroit, which has one of the largest (44,000) Maltese migrant populations.
Through the book, Diane Gale Andreassi, reporter for the South Lyon Herald, trails the Maltese Detroit settlers through time and illustrates the importance the Catholic Church had among the migrants in this new land. Maltese in Detroit speaks, among others, of priests who welcomed and helped new migrants settle down in the US.
“I wanted to put the book together to give recognition to Malta, the Maltese people who migrated to Detroit and the many families who were born from these Maltese immigrants,” the reporter said when contacted.
Ms Andreassi’s parents were both born in Malta. Her mother’s family moved from Sliema to the Corktown area in Detroit when she was 12, while her father, from Mosta, migrated alone when he was 18. Ms Andreassi was raised in Detroit with four other siblings.
“I have always been very proud of my Maltese heritage, but there are so many people in the US who aren’t aware of the island nation,” she added.
Compiling the book took her a whole year but the journey introduced her to “many wonderful people of Maltese heritage”.
“They were all proud to have been born in Malta or raised by Maltese parents. I can speak first hand when I say Maltese people are loyal, proud and generous,” the author said.
Ms Andreassi has worked as a reporter and a section editor at the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers in Michigan. After giving birth to her first child, she worked as a freelancer, and it was then that she authored an encyclopaedia entry on Malta, which was published by Gale Research.
But the response to Maltese in Detroit book was “overwhelming”.
“I have received hundreds of calls from people all over Michigan inquiring about the book. First, second and third generation Maltese have a real affection for Malta and their heritage.
“They talk about how important it is to maintain our Maltese pride, especially among the young generation. There seems to be a real heart tug for Malta, even among people with just a few drops of Maltese in their blood,” she said.
The book, published by Arcadia Publishing, is available on iTunes and www.amazon.com