German American National Congress

German American National Congress

The German American National Congress (German: Deutsch Amerikanischer National Kongress) (also known as DANK) is a national German-American nonprofit organization in the United States. DANK was established to unite Americans of Germanic descent, while preserving their heritage and traditions on a local and national level. With over 30 chapters and more than 100 associated members throughout the country, DANK is the largest organization of German-Americans. DANK was founded in 1959;[1] more than a half-century later, it still actively unites German-Americans across the United States.

Contents

Cooperation

Throughout its history the German American National Congress has had close relationships with U.S. governmental and civic bodies including the White House, the German Embassy in Washington, D.C., German consulates, and a number of other German organizations. In 1987 DANK was involved in the adoption of October 6 as German-American Day, which is observed on a national level.[2]

German-American Journal

Cover of April/May 2009 German American Journal
Cover of April/May 2009 German American Journal

The German-American Journal is the official newsleter of DANK, and is published bimonthly. At the start of DANK in 1959 the newspaper consisted of six pages, was issued every three weeks, and was written almost entirely in German. As of 2011, the paper is 16 pages and written primarily in English (articles written in German are often accompanied by an English translation or summary). Recurring topics in the Journal include current events, food and entertainment, reviews, organization news and other articles of interest to German-Americans. Members of DANK automatically receive a copy of the newspaper as part of their membership, and non-members may purchase an annual subscription.

National website

Launched in the late 1990s,[3] DANK's website (dank.org) was one of the early cultural organizations to gain a foothold on the World Wide Web. It served as a means of attracting new members to the organization by offering information on the German American National Congress. In February 2009, the website underwent its first major upgrade of its appearance and content to appeal to the younger generation of German-Americans. Not only can people learn about the organization (as they could in the past), they can now interact by participating in a discussion forum, Facebook and the national president's blog.

Organizational structure

DANK is made up of chapters throughout the United States, which are divided into three regions: Regions One through Three. Along with its chapters, DANK has its national headquarters (DANK National) located in Lincoln Square, Chicago, Illinois. On the national and chapter level there are board-member positions which aid in keeping the organization running, and are responsible for organizing events and activities which aim to unite people of German-American descent.

National executive board

Name Position
William Fuchs National President
Erich Wittmann First Vice-President
Donna Lippert Second Vice-President
Maria Thompson Treasurer
Beverly Pochatko Secretary

List of chapters

State Chapter name
Arizona Phoenix
California Woodside (King's Mountain)
Iowa Quad-Cities
Illinois German American Cultural Center
Illinois Frankfort Mokena German Heritage Center
Illinois Chicago-West
Illinois Decatur
Illinois Fox Valley
Illinois Lake County
Illinois Northern Suburbs
Illinois Peoria
Illinois Springfield
Indiana Indianapolis
Indiana La Porte
Indiana LaFayette
Indiana South Bend
Michigan Benton Harbor
New Jersey Pascack Valley
Ohio Cleveland
Ohio Columbus
Pennsylvania The German Heritage Society
Pennsylvania New Castle
Pennsylvania Erie
Pennsylvania Philadelphia
Pennsylvania German American Heritage Society of Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania Mason-Dixon (Subchapter of Pittsburgh)
Pennsylvania Laurel Highlands (Subchapter of Pittsburgh)
Washington D.C. Washington D.C.
Wisconsin Janesville
Wisconsin Milwaukee

References

  1. ^ DANK national website Retrieved 2011-08-14.
  2. ^ History of DANK Retrieved 2011-08-14.
  3. ^ dank.org website registration Retrieved 2011-08-14.
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Religion

Prominent examples: Buddhists · Christians (Catholics, Protestants, etc.) · Hindus · Jews · Muslims · Neopagans · Non-religious · Sikhs
Race and ethnicity

People of the United States/Americans · Ethnic groups in the United States · American people by ethnic or national origin · History of the United States by ethnic group · American culture by ethnicity · Race and ethnicity in the Census · Maps of American ancestries · 2010 Census · in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission · Racism

White Americans (European Americans, Non-Hispanic Whites, White Hispanic and Latino Americans, Albanian Americans, Arab Americans, English Americans, German Americans, Irish Americans, Italian Americans, Polish Americans, etc.) · Black Americans (African Americans, Black Hispanic and Latino Americans, African immigrants and descendants, Afro-Caribbean/West Indian Americans, etc.) · Asian Americans (Chinese Americans, Filipino Americans, Asian Hispanic and Latino Americans, Indian Americans, Vietnamese Americans, Japanese Americans, Pakistani Americans, etc.) · Hispanic and Latino Americans (Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans (Stateside), Cuban Americans, Colombian Americans, etc.) · Jewish Americans · Multiracial Americans · Native Americans and Alaska Natives · Pacific Islander Americans (Chamorro Americans, Native Hawaiians, Samoan Americans, etc.)

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