L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE D ear Readers, A m e r i c a n History is being rew- ritten. Posi- tive contributions made by our forefathers will soon dis- appear from our US.History Books. Before every shred of positive print is wiped out, I thought I would refresh your memory and mine by reprint- ing "I Am An Italian-Ameri- can"… My roots are deep in an ancient soil, drenched by the Mediterranean sun and w a t e r e d b y p u r e s t r e a m s from snow-capped moun- tains. I am enriched by thou- sands of years of culture. My hands and mind are those of the mason, the artist, the philosopher, the s c i e n t i s t , t h e w r i t e r , t h e jurist, the man of medicine, and the tiller of the soil. M y t h o u g h t s a n d ideals have been recorded i n t h e a n n a l s o f a n c i e n t Rome, the poetry of Virgil and Petrarch, the literature of Dante Alighieri, and the p h i l o s o p h y o f B e n e d e t t o Croce. I a m a n I t a l i a n - American, and from my ancient world, I was the first to span the seas and return to spread the news of a new w o r l d . I a m C r i s t o f o r o Colombo. I am Giovanni Caboto, k n o w n i n E n g l i s h a n d American history as John C a b o t , d i s c o v e r e r o f t h e mainland of North America. I a m A m e r i g o V e s p u c c i , w h o g a v e m y n a m e — a n g l i c i z e d t o " A m e r i c a " — t o t h i s n e w world. I am the first Jesuit in the US, arriving in the early 1600's. I was captured and tortured by the Iroquois, and then sold as a slave. I escaped, and returned to teach them. I am Father Francesco Bressani. I s a i l e d o n e x p l o - rations from Florida to the Gulf of St. Lawrence; discov- e r e d N e w Y o r k B a y , M a n h a t t a n I s l a n d , a n d Narragansett Bay. I drew the first map of the Atlantic coast from North Carolina to Maine. I am Giovanni Da Verrazzano. I mapped the Pacific from Mexico to Alaska and on to the Philippines. I am Alessandro Malaspina. I am Filippo Mazzei, friend of Thomas Jefferson, G e o r g e W a s h i n g t o n , a n d Benjamin Franklin; my the- sis on the equality of man was written into the Bill of Rights. I am Gaetano Carusi. In 1808, at the request of President Thomas Jefferson, I arrived at the Washington N a v y Y a r d t o g e t h e r w i t h fourteen Italian musicians to form the first American mili- tary band, becoming soldiers a n d o f f i c e r s o f o u r U S Marine Corps. I a m O r a z i o d e Attellis, Marquis of Sant' A n g e l o . I e s t a b l i s h e d t h e Italian Guard in 1843 and d e f e n d e d T e x a s ' r i g h t t o independence. I settled US claims against Mexico, and was the first native Italian to publish a newspaper in the US. I i n v e n t e d a n d secured US patents for both the hydrometer and the mercurial barometer in the mid-1800s. I am Giuseppe Tigiabue. I was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy a n d C o m m a n d e r o f t h e N o r t h A t l a n t i c S q u a d r o n w h i c h d e f e a t e d t h e Confederate forces in the battle of the Mobile Bay. I am Bancroft Gherardi. Hailed as the hero of our war against the Pirates of Tripoli, I was the proud pilot of both "Old Ironsides" and the "US Constitution." I am Salvatore Catalano. I w a s a c a v a l r y m a n and trumpeter who fought u n d e r t h e c o m m a n d o f General Custer at the Battle o f L i t t l e B i g H o r n . I a m Giovanni Martini. I created the dome and almost all of the patterned marble and tile floors, the frescoes, the paintings, and the sculptures that adorn the interior of our United States Capital. They called me the Michelangelo of America. I a m C o n s t a n t i n o Brumidi. I am Attillio Piccirilli, stone cutter and sculptor. I designed and sculpted the great statue of the seated A b r a h a m L i n c o l n w h i c h graces Washington, DC. I am Antonio Meucci. I was granted caveats by the US Patent Office verifying that I was in fact the inven- tor of the telephone. Five Advancing our Legacy: Italian Community Services CASA FUGAZI If you know of any senior of Italian descent in San Francisco needing assistance, please contact: ItalianCS.org | (415) 362-6423 | info@italiancs.com Italian Community Services continues to assist Bay Area Italian-American seniors and their families navigate and manage the resources needed to live healthy, independent and productive lives. Since Shelter-in-Place began in San Francisco, Italian Community Services has delivered over 240 meals, over 900 care packages and made over 2000 phone wellness checks for our seniors. y e a r s l a t e r , f o l l o w i n g m y d e a t h , A l e x a n d e r G r a h a m B e l l m a n a g e d t o s e c u r e a patent and financial backing to establish telephone ser- v i c e , f a l s e l y r e p r e s e n t i n g himself as its inventor. In 1904 I founded, in San Francisco, the Bank of Italy. I revolutionized banking by m a k i n g l o a n s a n d c r e d i t available to the workingman and farmer, and by opening t h e B a n k o f A m e r i c a , a n d made it the largest financial institution in the world. I am A.P. Giannini. I a m E n r i c o F e r m i , father of nuclear science in America. I am the first enlisted man to earn the Medal of Honor in the World War II. I am John Basilone of New Jersey. I a m t h o s e m i l l i o n s who served in America's armies and the hundreds of thousands whose names are e n s h r i n e d i n t h e m i l i t a r y c e m e t e r i e s f r o m t h e R e v o l u t i o n a r y W a r t o t h e Civil War, in those found in F r a n c e a n d E n g l a n d a f t e r World War I; from the Rhine t o G u a d a l c a n a l f o l l o w i n g World War II; and in Korea and Vietnam and the hon- ored military cemeteries in our own United States. I am the steel-maker in Pittsburgh, the grower and farmer and wine master in the rich valleys of California, the textile designer and gar- ment maker in Manhattan, t h e f i s h e r m a n w h o h a s braved our oceans, the movie m a k e r i n H o l l y w o o d , t h e homemaker and breadwin- ner in tens of thousands of communities across our great land. I a m a n A m e r i c a n without stint or reserva- tion, loving this land as only one who understands history, its agonies and triumphs can love and serve it. I will not be told that my contribution is any less, nor my role not as wor- t h y , a s t h a t o f a n y o t h e r American. I will stand in support of this nation's freedom and future against all foes. My heritage has dedicat- ed me to these United States of America. I a m p r o u d of my full heritage, and I vow to remain worthy of it. I A M A N I T A L I A N - AMERICAN.

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