L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE D e a r R e a d e r s , February comes from the latin word f e b r u a , w h i c h means "to cleanse." The month was named after t h e R o m a n F e b r u a l i a , which was a month long festi- val of purification and atone- ment. February is a month with m a n y I t a l i a n connected dates, but the opening of the February 24, 1994, exhibit U n a S t o r i a S e g r e t a , w h e n I t a l i a n A m e r i c a n s w e r e " E n e m y A l i e n s , " i s c e r t a i n l y w o r t h remembering. The February 2 4 o p e n i n g o f t h e M u s e o Italo Americano in San Francisco, CA, is the anniver- sary of the fateful day in 1942 w h e n t h o u s a n d s o f I t a l i a n Americans in California (that did not have their citizenship papers) had to evacuate their homes if they lived near the beach. My mother lived on California Street, one more block north to Lake Street, and we would have had to move, e v e n i f m y f a t h e r w a s a n American Citizen. *** At a conference sponsored b y t h e A m e r i c a n I t a l i a n H i s t o r i c a l A s s o c i a t i o n ' s Western Regional Chapter, Una Storia Segreta had its inception. Wartime restric- tions had marked their lives. No one could hear what had happened to Italian Americans in those dark days without r e a l i z i n g t h a t f a r m o r e remained to be told. The ques- tion was, how? At the close of t h e c o n f e r e n c e , M a r i a Gloria, one of the participants and a longtime columnist for L'Italo Americano, passed on a thought: "Why not do an exhibit?" Had any of us sus- pected what this would entail, or where it might lead, Una Storia Segreta might have been stillborn. As it was, inno- cence prevailed, and we set out to try... O n F e b r u a r y 1 9 9 4 , t h e exhibit Una Storia Segreta: When Italian American W e r e " E n e m y A l i e n s " o p e n e d a t M u s e o I t a l o Americano in San Francisco. The opening marked the date in 1942 when enemy aliens of Italian descent living in so- called "prohibited zones" in California had to leave their homes and businesses and move elsewhere. This story — w h i c h w e c a l l e d T h e Evacuation — and other ele- ments of the internments and restrictions on enemy aliens on the homefront were con- tained in the narratives, pho- tos and documents of the Una storia Segreta exhibit. For the first time, what had happened to more than 600,000 Italian immigrants nationwide was presented for all to see. The exhibit was an immedi- ate sensation, drawing record crowds to this and more than 5 0 s u b s e q u e n t s h o w i n g s nationwide. Front-page arti- cles in newspapers greeted in whatever it traveled. It has also received numerous reso- lutions and commendations from governors, mayors and state legislatures. After its appearance in Washington DC a t t h e R a y b u r n O f f i c e Building, legislation was draft- e d s e e k i n g g o v e r n m e n t a l acknowledgement that, con- t r a r y t o w h a t m o s t h i s t o r y books said, these events did take place and affected thou- sands. Finally, after several years, the Wartime Violation o f I t a l i a n A m e r i c a n C i v i l Libraries Act was passed by both houses of Congress, and signed into law by President William Clinton on November 7, 2000. One year later, as mandated by the Act (Public L a w # 1 0 6 - 4 5 1 ) , t h e Department of Justice issued a Report to the Congress offi- cially confirming the story, and detailing the events, docu- ments, and names of those who were interned, arrested, and otherwise affected. Below are some of the major elements of the wartime viola- tions referred to in the Una Storia Segreta exhibit. 6 0 0 , 0 0 0 I t a l i a n Americans nationwide , legal residents of the United S t a t e s , w e r e d e s i g n a t e d " e n e m y a l i e n s " b y P r e s i d e n t i a l P r o c l a m a t i o n 2 5 2 7 o n D e c e m b e r 8 , 1 9 4 2 , a n d restricted: they could be arrest- ed, deported, and/or have their property seized, and could not travel more than 5 miles with- out obtaining government per- m i s s i o n . I n l a t e D e c e m b e r 1941, all were ordered to turn i n " c o n t r a b a n d " s u c h a s weapons, radios with a short wave, flashlights, cameras, maps, and anything suggesting a link with Italy such as flags or banners. 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. Nationwide, several thou- sand "potentially dangerous" enemy aliens were arrested in an initial FBI roundup start- ing on December 8, 1941, and continuing for many months. O f t h o s e , a b o u t 3 0 0 - 4 0 0 were sent to internment c a m p s l i k e t h e o n e i n McAlester, Oklahoma, run by t h e U S A r m y . T h o s e s t i l l interned after May 1943 were all sent to the INS-run camp at Missoula, Montana. Internees were given hearings, but could not have lawyers, or face their accusers. They could only offer letters and testimony to prove their innocence. Ezio Pinza (The lead basso at the Metropolitan Opera, arrested by the FBI on March 13, 1942) wrote this about what happened to him: T o u n d e r s t a n d t h e f u l l gravity of my situation, you must bear in mind that the Bill of Rights, not always applica- ble to US citizens in time of war, is nonexistent so far as an enemy alien is concerned. In being summoned to a hear- ing, he is presumed guilty u n t i l h e c a n p r o v e h i s innocence, and is expected to answer charges of which he is kept in ignorance. Pinza was eventually given a second hearing and paroled with the help of a determined American family, powerful lawyers and affidavits from the likes of Fiorello LaGuardia and Thomas Mann. Most others were not so lucky. ITALIAN TELEVISION KSCI CANALE 18. Presentano: Maria Cristina Heller e Franco Brescia Teleitalia in onda tutte le Domeniche alle ore 13 o 1:00pm Siamo collegati con i satelliti DISHNET e DIRECTV, SPECTRUM E TUTTI I CAVI DEL SUD CALIFORNIA Per Informazioni e Pubblicita` telefonate a (818) 260-9318 Cell: (818) 288-2518

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