The Circle

Issue date: 10/19/06 Section: News

Media Credit: James Reilly

Media Credit: James Reilly

Cannolis. Lasagna. The Gotti Boys. This is what commonly comes to mind when one thinks of Italian Americans. There are over 26 million Italian Americans in the United States today, making it the fifth-largest ethnic group in the country. It is not unusual for someone to know someone of Italian ancestry or to be influenced in some way by Italian culture. Many respected members of our society are Italian Americans and affect our lives daily. However, this was not always the case. Italian Americans, like most immigrant groups, had a hard time assimilating into what was sometimes an unwelcoming environment, and while many discriminating practices have been documented, for many years Italian Americans have kept a part of their past hidden from most individuals in this country.

The turn of the century marked a period of mass Italian migration to the United States. Italians, like the Irish and Germans before them, came hoping for a better life. They settled in communities that recreated the small villages they had left. Many immigrants had little money and no skills. They relied on manual labor. With little education and financial resources, many Italians remained isolated in their communities and Italian citizens. As a result, their small communities developed into what many called "ghettos," which perpetuated the negative connotations already surrounding immigrant culture. The American public viewed the struggling immigrants as violent, lazy, dirty, and ignorant. These unwarranted stereotypes may help to explain the events that would follow.

So why bring this up now? October is National Italian American Heritage Month, designated every year with the presidential signing of an executive order. Coinciding with Columbus Day, it recognizes the achievements, contributions, and successes of Italian Americans. After all, our country shares its namesake with Italian explorer and geographer Amerigo Vespucci. Besides celebrating the accomplishments of these people, Americans must also remember the hardships they endured. This year Marist College took part in this celebration by hosting the traveling photographic exhibit "Una Storia Segreta" on the first floor of Fontaine Hall. The exhibit documents what happens when ignorance and fear take over.

Presented from Oct.5 through Oct. 30, the wall of newspaper clippings, government documents, and photos attempts to explain the "secret story" of Italian Americans that had long been concealed. Some Italians had been restricted in their movements, interned in prison camps, and denied the rights of the ordinary person. Professor Lawrence DiStasi from the University of California at Berkeley is the curator of the Western Regional Chapter of the American Italian Historical Association and project director of the traveling exhibit. (Earlier in the month, DiStasi spoke on "Una Storia Segreta: When Italian Americans were Enemy Aliens" in the Nelly Goletti Theater.) Spanning the first floor of Fontaine, between the characteristic bright yellow doors, are various black boards with photos of people and captions explaining their story-"Una Storia Segreta." At the start of the exhibit, a propaganda poster from the 1940s commands, "Don't Speak the Enemy's Language! Speak American!" The tone has been set: the viewer is quickly aware that racial intolerance, not rational thought, reigns. Despite what history may have taught us, it's always shocking to read firsthand accounts of what the American government has inflicted upon its constituency.

One of the possible explanations for the actions of the United States government toward Italian Americans might be the fact that many of them supported Mussolini, the fascist dictator of Italy. He earned respect for transforming Italy into a modern nation of consequence. Many families of Italian ancestry framed photos of both FDR and Mussolini side by side in their houses. However, being pro-Mussolini did not translate into being anti-American for these individuals. Once the United States declared war after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the government viewed the Italian American population as a potential threat to national security. As many Americans were being called to fight in the war, thousands of Italian Americans were deported to internment camps and being stripped of their rights.

Included in the exhibit is an official document addressed to a Domenico Sanquienetti. It reads: "This certificate must be carried by the person to whom it was issued and must be produced if required by any police officer." I found this somewhat ironic, as it was eerily reminiscent of Nazi Germany and its demarcation of Jews. A country that was so strongly opposed to fascism was using techniques such as this to control its own population.

A series of photographs also struck me as especially poignant. Various faces of elderly men and women stared back at me, the caption underneath describing them as internees. These were primarily older individuals who had not learned English well enough to obtain citizenship, this was enough to consider them a threat. I could easily see my grandfather's distinctly Italian face mixed among those on the wall, and the exhibit no longer felt like some removed piece of history. What if something like this happened today? It seems like it never could; however, this event took place only less than 70 years ago-and that is frightening. There is the hope that exhibitions such as these will thwart future injustices, for there is no better way to put an end to hatred than by divulging the cold, hard facts.

The exhibit is aptly titled "Una Storia Segreta" because to this day, the country has never fully acknowledged these events. In November of 2002, President Clinton signed a formal apology, but several government documents remain top secret. Moreover, many families still shy away from speaking of their experiences due to extreme anger and humiliation. To be treated in such a way is an injustice to which few can relate. Italian Americans suffered from this "secret history" for far too long, and people such as DiStasi are looking to end the silence; it is the only way to guarantee that a future ethnic group will not face similar intolerance. In an article from North Coast Journal Weekly, DiStasi says, "Are we tolerant of people that are new to this country? Are we tolerant of people with a different look and ethnic background? Time and time again we prove that we are not." The exhibit points out that during any time of war, the United States is quick to condemn its own ethnically diverse inhabitants. Russian and Cuban internment was considered during the Cold War. Detainment even posed a threat to Iraqi Americans during the 1990 Gulf War. Let us recognize our past mistakes, shed light on the secrets, and hinder future injustice.

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