L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2022 L'Italo-Americano W e a r e f i n a l l y i n O c t o - b e r , t h e month of apple picking and pumpkins, o f s p o o k s a n d H a l l o w e e n . For Italian-Americans, how- e v e r , i t i s e s p e c i a l l y t h e m o n t h d e d i c a t e d t o o u r heritage and to the contri- butions the community made to the US throughout its his- t o r y . B e t w e e n 1 8 2 0 a n d 2000, more than 5 million Italians immigrated to the US, and today, in the 2020s, there are about 17 million Americans of Italian descent, w h i c h e q u a l s 5 . 1 % o f t h e country's total population. 17 million, that's as much as Piedmont, Liguria, Tuscany, L a z i o a n d U m b r i a p u t t o g e t h e r : i f y o u l o o k a t a map, you'll realize how big this area is for a country the s i z e o f I t a l y . 1 7 m i l l i o n i s over 1/3 of the Belpaese's total population of 60 mil- lion: again, contextualizing numbers helps grasp their full magnitude. I t a l i a n H e r i t a g e M o n t h i s c e l e b r a t e d i n O c t o b e r b e c a u s e o f t h e month's connection with the first famous Italian with ties with the New World, Cristo- foro Colombo. For an Ital- ian child of the 1980s like me, thinking of him as a con- troversial figure is difficult, b u t w e k n o w w e l l h e h a s become so in recent years, not without causing diatribes and discontent. There is only o n e t h i n g I ' d l i k e t o s a y about it: the US has been the cradle of modern democracy a n d h u m a n r i g h t s , e v e n before the French Revolution s p r e a d t h e s e m i n a l i d e a of liberté, égalité, fraternité – freedom, equality, fraterni- ty – throughout the Old Con- t i n e n t . T h a t ' s p a r t o f i t s greatness. That every voice has the right to be heard, and that every individual has the right of speaking out is as n a t u r a l a s b r e a t h i n g i n A m e r i c a . Y e t , h i s t o r i c a l events should never be inter- preted through the lenses of a time different from that when they took place, nor read outside their specific context. So, pain and injus- tice must be recognized, but not without keeping in mind the context, reality, times a n d s o c i e t i e s w h e r e t h e y developed. But even if we leave out good old Cristoforo, there is s o m u c h e l s e t o c o n s i d e r when it comes to the role of Italian immigrants and Ital- ian-Americans in building t h e U S . E a r l y I t a l i a n m i g r a n t s c o n t r i b u t e d t o b u i l d i n g A m e r i c a n c i t i e s and making the economy work with their hands and s w e a t . T h e y b o n d e d w i t h other minorities, contribut- ing to the creation of that incredibly rich, varied and unique mosaic that Ameri- can culture is. They were t h e r e w i t h t h e A f r i c a n - Americans of New Orleans playing blues, and in New York with the Irish building bridges. Their children grew up bilingual, they became artists and chefs, entrepre- neurs and musicians, scien- tists, doctors, priests and soldiers. Italian-Americans w e a v e d t h e m s e l v e s i n t o America's social and cultur- al fabric, contributing with t h e i r i n g e n u i t y a n d h a r d work to the greatness of the country. We shouldn't forget how I t a l i a n - A m e r i c a n s h a v e been giving to their ances- t r a l l a n d , t o o : h o w m a n y h a v e b e e n t r a v e l i n g , t h r o u g h t h e d e c a d e s , t o Italy and the tiny, often for- gotten by time, villages their grandparents left in their youth? How important was their trip to them, but also to the community they visit- e d ? W e o f t e n d o n ' t t h i n k enough about the meaning- f u l c o n s e q u e n c e s o f t h e c h o i c e o f " f i n d i n g o u r roots:" because if it's a life- changing moment for us, it is often also for the relatives we find in Italy, and for the people around them. When we land - suitcase, bright smile et all - in our nonni's old hometown, we rebuild a n o l d b r i d g e , w e f i n a l l y place one more piece in our family history's jigsaw… but also in that of another per- son. Our long-lost cousins, a u n t s a n d u n c l e s , a r e a l l rediscovering their roots, just like we do. They, too, learn more about their past and the reasons why their family, today, is the way it is. It's a moment of mutual discovery and profound sig- nificance because we know well how important family still is in Italy: finding out yours is bigger just means there is more warmth and pride and love going around. And if it's true that Italian culture, through the pres- e n c e o f m i g r a n t s , h e l p e d create and develop Ameri- can culture, let's not forget about the immense contri- bution that, indirectly, Ital- ian-Americans gave to Ital- i a n c u l t u r e , t o o . O n e example for them all: the g r e a t p o e t s o f t h e B e a t Generation where Italian- American creativity, with figures like Lawrence Fer- linghetti and Gregory Corso, was seminal, and that meant so much for generation after generation of young Italians, who discovered the impor- tance of the self, of freedom, o f p o e t r y t h r o u g h t h e i r words. How to forget, then, figures like Renato Dulbecco or Rita Levi Montalcini, just t o n a m e t w o o f t h e m o s t iconic scientists of the 20th c e n t u r y , w h o m a d e t h e name of Italy great in their o w n r e s p e c t i v e f i e l d s b u t developed so much of their research in the US, a coun- try that welcomed them and n u r t u r e d t h e i r t h i r s t f o r knowledge. So, you see, we do have plenty to celebrate this Ital- ian Heritage Month, both in the US and in Italy: it is a month to honor our culture in all its facets, to appreciate what Italian heritage gave to the two countries that make it up. It is a time to take out t h e t r i c o l o r e a n d s h o w i t w i t h p r i d e o n o u r f r o n t porch, but also to look into our own personal heritage and into Italian-American culture at large. To remem- ber those who made us Ital- ian-Americans by crossing the Atlantic so many years ago, and to remember those who made Italian-American culture the incredible kalei- doscope of experiences it is. Italian Heritage Month is a moment to celebrate our history and roots (Photo: Inkdropcreative1/Dreamstime) NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS The Italian Heritage Month, between history, tradition and celebration SIMONE SCHIAVINATO

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