We are the descendants of those brave people that were forced to emigrate by the millions. Some of us live in Southern Italy while others live in the United States. Come with us on this journey of learning and fun. For the Italian-Americans it will be a (re)discovery of their roots, beyond myths and stereotypes, reinforcing their identity as an important ethnic group of American society. For the Italians of the motherland, it will be reconnecting and finding their lost families on the other side of the pond.
The Great Italian Emigration to America between 1876 and 1925
| The Shameful Story – La Storia vergognosa (2020), is a documentary film by Nella Condorelli that talks about the Great Italian Emigration to America between 1876 and 1925. When we emigrated en masse. A story and a page of history that in Italy we prefer to ignore. Testimonials. Unpublished images. Sources censored. Below is a video with historical documents made in 2016 for the crowdfunding campaign. See The Shameful Story. A film project Facebook page. |
Italian American stereotypes
| Prof Frank M Sorrentino’s lecture is illuminating. It is important for all of us to know, on both sides of the pond. At the end of the lecture he says (and I paraphrase): Until and when you examine the history and its premises until you go back and find out what happened in Italy, what happened in America, and what happened on their trip, you will never be able to understand. Please, visit Prof Frank M Sorrentino Facebook page. |
My friend Michael Dodaro’s grandfather’s story
In my friend’s words.
My grandfather immigrated to the US from Piane Crati, Cosenza, Calabria. He worked his way across the country from New York to eastern Montana, where he became a railroad section foreman on a gang of track laborers known as gandy dancers. The photo following shows the kind of work they did, often in high temperatures and in swarms of mosquitoes. My grandmother followed some years later on the basis of what I assume was an arranged marriage. The second photo shows both grandparents and my father probably in the year 1924.
The best of “two great things”: Italian and American
| See what Francis Coppola has to say about his roots in Basilicata | |
| The Scorseses talk about their experiences as Italian immigrants in New York City among other things while having dinner at their apartment on Elizabeth Street. |
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell Apologizing for 1891 Lynching
| The lynching of Italian emigrants in Louisiana (movie) | |
| New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell apologizing |
Never forget
The attached article is a masterful account of Italian American history by the author Marianna Gatto. In her own words.
As Italian Heritage Month approached this year, I began to think about the events in our nation’s history that played a seminal role in shaping both my identity as an Italian American and my understanding of Italian American history. In elementary school, it was the Great Arrival, the period during which millions of our ancestors came to the United States. Images of early Italian enclaves and immigrant ships stirred powerful emotions within me, foreshadowing what would become my vocation.
The WV Mining Disaster That Killed Hundreds of Italian Men and Boys
