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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2015 www.italoamericano.org 15 L'Italo-Americano Dear Readers, In September, the month we celebrate Labor Day, I often write about those early arrivals from Italy who built our sewers, subways, tunnels and with pick and shovels our American Streets, previously thought to be trimmed in gold. This month, I want to focus on Italo-Americans counterparts in Canada. Grazie to Fr. August Feccia, who in October 1990 left Chicago, Illinois and began service as Editor of L'Italo- Americano and director of Villa Scalabrini, in Sun Valley, California for eight years, prior to being assigned to St. Angela Merici Church, in Windsor, Ontario. Windsor is located on the southernmost frontier of Canada. Detroit, Michigan is less than a mile away. The Detroit river is an international border between these two cities connected by the Michigan Central Railway Tunnel (1910), the Ambassador Bridge (1929) and the Windsor- Detroit Tunnel (1930). Windsor is also connected to Detroit historically, economically, socially and through family ties. Italians were often drawn to Windsor for reason of its proximity to America - "The Promised Land". Windsor, Detroit's international suburb, was "almost America", a bridge to that land of dreams. *** "Grazie" to an eight pound, photo-filled bilingual book, "Impronte", Italian Imprints in Windsor, published in 2009, by Walkerville publishing with the cooperation of the Windsor Italian Heritage Committee, the Canadian Italian Professional Association, the Windsor Community Museum and hundreds of Italo-Canadian residents of Windsor with a photo album and a good memory I can share this info with you: The first Italians came to Canada in 1665 when soldiers from various parts of what later became Italy were recruited by the French Army's Regiment Carignan-Salières. Italians also served as soldiers under the British command during the War of 1812 in Lower Canada (Quebec). Italians were also present in the Great Lakes region before the founding of Detroit in 1701. Two Neapolitan brothers, Enrico (Henri) and Alphonse de Tonti, were among the first to serve the French regime in this region. Henri, chief aid to LaSallle in the exploration of the Great Lakes, travelled through the Detroit-Windsor strait toward the end of the 1670s. Alphonse, his older brother who was the first recorded Italian to arrive in what is now Detroit, held posts throughout the Great Lakes region. He was Captain Macknac from 1697-1700, Governor of Frontenac from 1706-16 and Governor of Detroit from 1717 until his death in 1727. The first known Italian to live in Windsor was Matteo Palmieri (1826-1916). Originally from Naples. He fought with Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1848, fled to France, as a mine supervisor. By 1865, he was a photographer and resided with his wife Mary, a music teacher in Windsor. In 1873, he founded the Italian Benevolent Society and devoted much of his time assisting immigrants. In the 1890's many Italians from the rural areas of Friuli began arriving in Windsor due to a crisis in Italian agriculture, including increasing competition to the Italian Silk market from China and Japan and Rice Market from India. *** The depression years were not easy for the Italo-Canadian immigrants and caused financial hardships for most. In addition,Italy under Mussolini was split between those who favored Il Duce's totalitarian politics and those who opposed them. The battle crossed the ocean with many anti-Fascists who fled to exile in America and Canada. For the most part, the immigrant generation supported Mussolini. He seemed to have gained the world's respect for Italy by turning the old country into a disciplined modern nation. Much of the world press, including the United States, portrayed him as a hero. Altrought the rumblings of World War II may have begun with Mussolini's invasion of Ethiopia in 1935 and Mussolini's alliance with Hitler in 1936, they did NOT impact Italo-Americans or Italo-Canadians until 1940 and 1941, when British and U.S. authorities began arresting Italian "aliens" on the flimsiest pretext. When Italy allied with Germany and joined in the attack on France in 1940, the immigrants worse fears were realized. With the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and the U.S. declaration of war on all three Axis powers, Italian American and the formerly pro- fascist newspapers, hastened to affirm their loyalty to their adopted country. The measures made many immigrants feel that they were being blamed for where they had been born, Prejudice that in Canada and America had long been attached to the "WOPS" concentrated its venom during the war. Their language had become the "Enemy's Language". The U.S. Government encouraged this trend by its poster proclaiming "Don't Speak the Enemy's Language, Speak AMERICAN!". In Canada anti-Italian round- ups began as early as June 1940 where as in the U.S. they began 48 hours after the Pearl Harbor Bombing on Dec, 7, 1941. When Mussolini declared war on Britain on June 10, 1940, anti-Italian feeling erupted throughout Canada. Over 150 policemen and citizens participated in a rounding up of many "enemy aliens" in Windsor. Forty Italians became prisoners of war and were held without evidence. Enemy aliens not rounded up were still fingerprinted, photographed and required to report to police stations at regular intervals. Italians in the Windsor area were fired from all city works as well as from many industries. Proof of wrongdoing was not required. Among those suspended from the various city departments, "one was the only Italian member of the police force and another was a Canadian World War I veteran whose son was already serving in the Canadian Air Force". Families of unemployed enemy aliens who were not interned were not eligible for government assistance. Families of internees were forced to subsist on only $12.00 per month in the government assistance. The federal government froze their bank accounts. They were forced to sell homes, business and other valuable assets in order to clothe and feed their families. Because they were Italian Canadians the prices they had to accept were often below market value. Many of the properties and assets not sold in this way, were somehow not available for redistribution to their legal owners at the end of war. The Italian community was subject to hostility, ostracism, persecution and scorn. Most politicians disassociated themselves from their own constituents. However, the Mayor of Windsor, Arthur J. Reaume, made a plea for tolerance, especially for the Italians in Windsor who "were having hell on earth". He reminded people of their earlier contribution to the city: "Years past Windsor was lucky to have those Italians: They dug our sewers and did other hard labor. Today they have lost their homes and their jobs and are persecuted by everybody". Despite these hardships, the community weathered the storm. Their positive response included participation in the Canadian war effort by offering volunteers and financial aid. *** An Internment Camp near Windsor, housed over 600 men between the ages of 16 to 70. They were interned in a prisoner of war Champ in Petawawa, Ontario. They came from all walks of life: lawyers, doctors, candy-makers, carpenters, bakers, wine makers, priests, contractors, postmen, shoe shiners and bricklayers, to name just a few. Today the city of Udine in the Friuli Region of Italy and Windsor have become Twin Cities (1977) and the Friuli Fountain is a Windsor favorite. The Erie Street Business Improvement Area came into existence in 1984 and one of its first accomplishments was having a portion of Erie St. E. designated as "Via Italia" and signage installed on Erie St. between Mercer and Langlois. Via Italia continues to develop and change. While residences diminish in number, business increase, although not all are entirely Italian. The area is now gaining a well-deserved reputation as a gourmet restaurant district. Also, an important part of the Via Italia tradition is the St. Angela Merici Festival, celebrated annually in the month of August along Erie St. E. The celebration for the patroness of the parish started in 1987. Today, Italo-Canadians in Windsor can be found laboring as Artists, auto repairmen, barbers, contractors, doctors, engineers, firemen, gelateria owners, hair dresser, investment brokers, judges, kitchen suppliers, launderettes, ministers of International trade, notaries, optometrists, presidents of Windsor University, restaurant owners, Volvo dealers, wine merchants and anywhere the sky's the limit.