L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 6 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS A m e r i c a n h e r i t a g e , a n d Italian American Heritage Month mean in a genera- t i o n f r o m n o w , o r t w o generations from now?" This is where the con- versation returns to rele- vance, education, disco- very, and the transmission o f c u l t u r e . P i c k u p t h e phone! Among the things that I hear over and over when discussing the topic of family histories is, "All m y o l d e r r e l a t i v e s h a v e passed on, and growing up, I n e v e r t h o u g h t t o a s k those questions." Having lost my grandparents at a very young age, I can relate t o t h i s . T h e r e a r e m a n y q u e s t i o n s I w o u l d h a v e l o v e d t o h a v e h a d t h e opportunity to ask. "My g r a n d p a r e n t s / p a r e n t s d i d n ' t t a l k a b o u t t h o s e t h i n g s , " i s a n o t h e r o f t - r e p e a t e d r e m a r k . Encouraging certain gene- r a t i o n s t o s p e a k a b o u t events and experiences can b e c h a l l e n g i n g . ( T h i s i s true for people indepen- dent of their generation!) But sometimes getting a relative to open up is sim- ply a matter of conveying interest. Before the opportunity is lost, arrange a time to sit down with your great-aunt, parents, or grandparents. They have stories to tell a n d r e c o r d i n g t h e m i s easier than ever. If you are the matriarch or patriarch, now is the time to share or o t h e r w i s e m e m o r i a l i z e your family's legacy. Marianna Gatto A lthough I'm an Italian/Cana- d i a n , I a m n o w a l s o a n American, as I recently became a US Citi- zen. So, I can officially say t h a t I a m a p r o u d Italian/Canadian/Ameri- can. I do my part every day t o p r e s e r v e m y I t a l i a n Heritage through my work, w h i c h i s m y a r t . I w r i t e plays, stories, and monolo- gues, about my experience growing up Italian, my Ita- lian family, living in Italy, and the Italian immigrant experience. I hold my parents and grandparents up as cham- pions and heroes for doing something so brave. Like so many Italians have done over the years, they picked up their bags, boarded a ship, and left their beloved homeland behind. It takes a lot of courage to move to a place where you don't speak the language, and the culture is foreign. Their s a c r i f i c e s h e l p e d s h a p e who I am today, and for that, I am eternally grate- ful. In my full-length play, "Moose On The Loose," a comedy about an Italian f a m i l y a n d a C a n a d i a n moose, the mother, Maria, s a y s t o h e r f o u r g r o w n children all born in North A m e r i c a , " W e k n o w w e think different from our children. And this is not just for me, but for many people from all over the world. No matter where you come from. When you are an Immigrant, you go to make a better life for you and your family, and you bring everything you know, who you are, your t r a d i t i o n s , b e c a u s e y o u want to teach this to future generations. But when you come here, everything is different, and everything changes, and every day you feel more and more of who you are slip away. In the closing moment o f t h e p l a y , b e f o r e t h e Moose appears on stage, the father, Giuseppe, sur- rounded by his family and children, seated at the kit- chen table with pasta and bread on the table, picks up his glass of homemade wine and says, "Let's toast. Please, one thing I ask of you, when we are not here a n y m o r e , m e , y o u r mamma, your Nonni, just remember, that even if we come from far, far away, from where we started our l i f e i n C a l a b r i a , p l e a s e remember to teach your children about us, our cul- ture, our tradition. Even if y o u d o n ' t a g r e e w i t h everything we say and do, j u s t t r y . F o r u s . O k ? Salute!" And this is why I always do my part to make sure that my Italian culture, my I t a l i a n H e r i t a g e , w h o I r e a l l y a m , a n Italian/Canadian/America n, does not "slip away." I do it for them. And so, I tell my stories and pass them on to future genera- tions so that we will never forget who we really are and where we come from. V i v a L ' I t a l i a ! V i v a L'America! Dina Morrone I ' v e l i v e d i n L o s Angeles for many years now. I came to Hollywood, the land of opportuni- ties, like many other immi- grants with our hearts fil- l e d w i t h d r e a m s i n t h e hopes for them to come true. But in my heart I never left my homeland of Italy. I'm proud of my Italian r o o t s a n d c u l t u r e . O n e might say of me I've never l o s t w h a t i s c o n s i d e r e d o l d - f a s h i o n e d Mediterranean values. My taste and passion for our u n t o u c h a b l e c u i s i n e , which I love to share with friends. Perhaps it's my w a y t o k e e p o u r v a l u e s alive here in the United States, bringing our style, our sense of beauty, class and fashion to our every- d a y l i f e a n d p r o f e s s i o n , w h i c h d i s t i n g u i s h e s u s proudly. I've been declared by my Italian fans reaching out to me everyday through the m a g i c o f t o d a y ' s s o c i a l media, that I'm their favo- rite Italian ambassador as an actress abroad and I'm deeply honored. It warms m y h e a r t a n d k e e p s m e connected and it gives my path a greater purpose and r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f a r a w a y from the land I belong to in my heart. Due to these crazy circumstances, this year of 2020 and all neces- sary precautions to protect who is dear to me, I wasn't able to visit and spend the summer in i Italy, with family and friends. My heart goes out to everyone who has been affected by it one way or another. These are difficult times and we need to share o u r i n b o r n p a s s i o n a n d love generously more than ever. And hopefully we artists c a n s o o n r e s u m e o u r Passion of Creating in the m a k e b e l i e v e w o r l d i n f i l m s a n d t h e a t r e s o o n again. After all, Hollywood is my playground but Italy is my home. Sofia Milos Continued from page 4 Actress Dina Morrone says she feels her heritage is truly part of who she is (Photo courtesy of Dina Morrone)

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