L'Italo-Americano

PAGE 18 L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012 The Italian migration in the US. Understanding history to understand each other The story of Italians in the US ALESSANDRA MASTROIANNI STAFF WRITER is incredibly fascinating, as well as intricate and too often gener- alized and ignored. It's the story of a brave population who fought for ideals, with a strength that seems not to exist anymore in today's Italy. This story is par- tially yet to be discovered. The University of California, Los Angeles recently hosted a symposium on the experience of the Italian immigration in California. "The Italian identity is a fundamental feature of Los Angeles, a multicultural and cos- mopolitan city," said Consul General Giuseppe Perrone. "We can find it every day in many symbolic landmarks, from the Watts Towers to the Italian Hall, from LACMA to the canals of Venice". But what is the story of the ation of a stereotyped Italian cul- ture in the US, which very often collides with our actual, contem- porary culture. Why are Italian- Americans so bound to a her- itage that doesn't even exist in Italy anymore? "As I said, Italians in the US had to leave behind their previ- ous life to become Americans" comments Norelli. "Only a few ferent Italian heritage, the con- temporary one, renown for arts, architecture, design and fashion. "But be careful" says Suma, "the Italian-American culture and the Italian culture are two different things. Most of the mis- communication between the two comes from the fact that Italians expect Italian-Americans to rep- resent the actual Italian culture; The documentary Bitter Bread (2007), directed by Gianfranco Norelli and Suma Kurien easier process of integration. The last project of filmmakers Gianfranco Norelli and Suma Kurien aims at investigating this 1800 until the WWII", explains Kurien. "While many loved the film, many others reacted by saying they didn't recognize themselves in that story. There we realized there was another story to investigate, the one of the Italian immigration to the West Coast. We are now in the process of collecting testimonies from those who were part of that experience." After more than a century, the A group of middle-class Italians reunited at an Italian restaurants in the US Italian experience in California? It seems that the process of migration here was different from the one of Ellis Island. East, a page of suffering, con- flicts and faith; West, a much experience. "A few years ago we presented to the US audience our previous documentary, Bitter Bread (2007), which focused on the Italian migration to the East coast of the US from the late Italian immigration in the US is still little known, even by Italians and Italian-Americans themselves. "There are several answers to this process of obscuring" explains Norelli. "When Italians left Italy at the end of 1800, they were escaping an unsuccessful situation. Nor Italy or the US cared about them. Theirs was mainly a rural culture and most of them spoke dialect only, which was seen as less than a language. Italian immigrants started to perceive all this like something to be ashamed of. So they tried to integrate into the society of the new continent, but in order to do that, they had to leave behind their roots and their identity." America wanted to create a unit- ed nation, and being part of it implied a choice for immigrants, the choice to become Americans. This separation from the origi- nal heritage is also one of the main causes that led to the cre- Directors Suma Kurien and Gianfranco Norelli things were left to them: among these, religious festivities and traditional food. They started to emphasize those elements to maintain their identity, and at the same time America started to identify them with those fea- tures." This new culture became very strong and nowadays is still celebrated all over the US, together with a completely dif- but the culture of immigrants was created here, not in Italy, and therefore is something else." Two "sister cultures" then, that belongs to two different coun- tries. Accepting that there was another story, -or many different stories- that made an Italian- American culture seems to be the first step towards a mutual understanding. News for Italian citizens – Consular visit to Las Vegas, Nevada The Consulate General of Italy, in order to facilitate the access to the services rendered by the passport department to our citizens living in areas far away from Los Angeles, is orga- nizing - in collaboration with our local Honorary Vice Consulate - a meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, to take the fingerprints of those who wish to apply for a new passport without having to come to our main Office. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 5th, 2012 from 11AM to 2PM at the Gordon Silver Attorneys, 3960 Howard Hughes Parkway, 9th floor - Las Vegas, NV 89169 All fellow citizens interested should schedule an appointment by December 4th, 2012. To schedule your appointment please send an email containing your first and last name, place and date of birth and previous or current passport number (if applicable) to the following email address: Consulate General in Los Angeles - Passport Department passaporti.losangeles@esteri.it This Office will contact all the applicants confirming the appointment and providing fur- ther instructions for the day of the meeting with the Consular Officer.

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