1891 Lynching of Italian Americans I was called a Guinea this week. I never had that happen before. I was also told that when the Nazis marched into Italy Hitler told them to not defecate (that was not the word he used) in the streets because he wanted to starve the Italians. That one was … Continue reading Anti-Italianism is Alive & Well
#westcoastitalians
Is Fettuccini Alfredo a Traditional Italian Dish?
It is amazing to me, a guy who grew up in an Italian-American community in upstate New York, how much I learned about being Italian when I left that community to live among the medighans of Los Angeles. I didn’t realize that real Italians went around saying for-ged-aboud-it and we didn’t call it sauce, but … Continue reading Is Fettuccini Alfredo a Traditional Italian Dish?
Italian Americans & The Catholic Church
I am a survivor of fourteen years of Catholic education. I am still waiting for my lapel pin to come in the mail. Although I may joke about surviving the notorious nuns, I did receive a very good education in those years. One thing that I didn’t understand back then was the relationship between the … Continue reading Italian Americans & The Catholic Church
Being Italian American During a Covid Christmas
I am not sure how to start this post, how to do something other than contributing to the happy-happy-joy-joy holiday messages with which we have all been inundated over the past few weeks. However, I do have something to say as I reflect on this time of year and its relation to my cultural heritage, … Continue reading Being Italian American During a Covid Christmas
Columbus & the Historians
When I was a kid Columbus Day was a special holiday. OK, it wasn’t Christmas or Easter, but it was better than Arbor Day, with all due respect to that holiday. I didn’t think of it back then, but it was an acknowledgment of the contribution Italians made – and continue to make – to … Continue reading Columbus & the Historians