There are numerous organizations that celebrate and promote French heritage within Minnesota today.
The French-American Heritage Foundation of Minnesota has as its mission “to foster a greater understanding of the rich history and heritage of French-speaking people who helped form what is now Minnesota.” Their website brings together a wealth of information regarding the state’s French and French-Canadian heritage, links to other French-related organizations, publications, classes on “Minnesota History with a French Accent,” an ongoing list of French-related events across the state, and more. Their website is https://fahfminn.org/.
The Alliance Française Minneapolis-St. Paul promotes the French language and French and francophone cultures through classes and events in both French and English. They offer language classes for adults and children, cooking events, and a variety of programs that help participants learn about French and francophone arts, literature, film, music, and more. The Alliance Française website is https://www.afmsp.org/#/.
The Concordia Language Villages have offered summer immersion experiences in French since 1962. Their main French site, Lac du Bois, offers students language learning and cultural activities at their site near Bemidji. They also offer a French canoeing excursion experience called Les Voyageurs where participants advance their French skills and learn about the history of the voyageurs while developing their own canoeing and camping skills. https://www.concordialanguagevillages.org/languages/french
The Durand Heritage Foundation’s mission is to preserve the family and cultural heritage of Jean Durand dit La Fortune (1636-1671). The Durand Heritage Foundation researches and disseminates genealogical, French Canadian history, and other information about his ancestors and descendants through the voluntary efforts of its members. http://durandfoundation.com/
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