L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016 www.italoamericano.org 13 L'Italo-Americano Dear Readers, Memorial Day, will be observed on Monday, May 30th. Originally celebrated by the floral decoration of graves and memorial services for soldiers killed in wars: Civil, Spanish- American, World Wars I and II and wars that have followed, Memorial Day has now become a general day of remembrance for all our dearly departed including some of our parents and relatives who during World War II were branded "Enemy Aliens". *** By Presidential Proclamation, on Dec. 8, 1942, 600,000 Italian Americans nationwide, legal residents of the United States were designated "enemy aliens". They could be arrested, deported, or have their property seized and could not travel more than 5 miles without obtaining government permission. The FBI and other police agencies began raids on Italian American homes - even those owned by U.S. Citizens - to search for contraband. Nationwide, several thousand "potentially dangerous" Italians were arrested in FBI roundups and sent to internment camps like the one in McAlester, Oklahoma run by the US army or INS- run Missoula, Montana *** In California, some 10,000 Italians- along with their American born children under 14 - had to leave their homes in coastal areas (including within San Francisco Bay) which had been declared "prohibited zones" by the Department of Justice. In place like Pittsburg, Monterey and Alameda, thousands had to leave and find housing elsewhere. Italians had to abide by curfews, literal house arrest which forced them to be in their houses by 8PM and remain there until 6 in the morning. Many reported for being out after 8, were arrested for curfew violations, and then detained in INS detention centers. Nobody talked publicly about the Italian American wartime experience until February 1994, when the exhibit, "Una Storia Segreta: when Italian Americans were Enemy Aliens" opened at the Museo Italo Americano in San Francisco, California and for the first time, what had happened to more than 600,000 Italian immigrants nationwide was presented via narratives, photos, memorabilia and documents for all to see. The exhibit was an immediate sensation, drawing record crowds to the Museo Italo Americano and more than 50 subsequent showing nationwide for over twenty years. The exhibit also led directly to major legislation at the national level, including the "Wartime Violation of Italian American Civil Liberties Act" passed by both house of Congress and signed into lay by Pres. William Clinton in November 2000. *** The Department of Justice, in 2001 issued a "Report to the Congress", as mandated by the Act (Public Law No. 10b-451), confirming the story, detailing events, documents and names of those who were interned, arrested or economically affected. Good News: Just learned that "Grazie" to the efforts of Chet Campanella, 85, a retired pharmacist and long-time resident of San Jose, California with "roots" in Bari, Italy, two bills have recently been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congresswoman Zoe Logren. Your job, Dear Readers, is to contact your Congressman or Woman in Washington, D.C. 20515 and urge them to vote in favor of both these Congressional Bills. The two Bills deal with the mistreatments were classified top secret by our government for 65 years. The story of these mistreatments has never been printed in any of our educational history books or been taught in any of our public schools. It is as if it had never happened. These how Congressional Bills ask for the following: To apologize for the treatment of Italian Americans during World War II and to authorize the Secretary of Education to provide grants for education programs on the history of the treatment of Italian Americans during World War II. What these two Congressional Bills Ask for is well deserved and long overdue. Note, when contracting your representative include this Sentence. On Behalf of the hundreds to thousands of American Italian survivors who you represent, I am asking you to vote in favor of both these Congressional Bills. Bill H.R. 4146 Bill H.R. 4147. *** Please note that it is H.R. 4146 that requests funds to provide grants for education programs so that our story is printed in public school history books in every state. I also hope that they include the information in school text books, the fact that during the period when Italians were being evacuated from their homes nearly one-third of our U.S. troops fighting and dying for our country had Italian roots. *** The United States government made many documents that described the injustices endured by these Italian "Enemy Aliens" during the war, classified information top secret. We were not to talk about it or discuss it, it was not to be published in our newspapers or magazines, it was not to be printed in our text books or history books. It was to be made as if nothing ever happened. This classified status sayer in affect for 65 years. It was due to the efforts of three Congressmen from New York namely Rich Lazio, Alfonse D'Amato and Eliot Engel whose bill was passed by Congress to declassify the secret documents and now we can freely talk about the unjust happenings that took place. *** Mr Campanella asked our United States government for two things: A formal Public Apology on behalf of the U.S. Government for the mistreatments endured by 600,000 Italians during World War II and a grant for $3,000,000 to be issued by our U.S. Secretary of Education to educate the American public as to the mistreatments forced on the Italian immigrants during WWII and to include the information in our Public School History Books. He wrote up the original drafts of Bills H.R. 4146 and H.R.4147 and delivered them to congressional Representative Zoe Lofgren. He asked her to introduce both Bills to Congress. She did this on December 2, 2015. Bill H.R.4146 was sent to the Education and Workforce Committee. Bill H.R. 4147 was sent to the Judicial Committee. The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) located in Washington, D.C. has come to his assistance. An article was published in their Spring Magazine the Ambassador by Lisa Femia Titled Fighting To Right A Wrong. So far, about 3200 of their members have signed a petition to support the Bills. They are going to e blast their members (25,000 to 65,000) asking them to write their Congressman, and ask him/her to support and vote in favor of the two Bills H.R. 4146 and H.R. 4147. What these Bills ask for is well deserved and long overdue, Please do your part to help make it happen soon. LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Chet Campanella

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