The ANNOTICO Report

As late as the 1950s, restrictive covenants often barred the sale of real
estate to Italian-Americans!!!
City government gratuitously slurred Italians as slum dwellers. Local
newspapers were not above referring to Italians as "swarthy."

Anti-Italian prejudice was commonplace and often blatant in Rockford during
the first half of the 20th century.

For example, a civic improvement plan published by city government
gratuitously slurred Italians as slum dwellers. And the local newspapers of
those days were not above referring to Italians as "swarthy."

Just recently, we ran across an item about a Rockford Park Board meeting in
1918 at which action was taken to ban park concerts by a local Italian band
because the group "is composed greatly of aliens."

As late as the 1950s, restrictive covenants often barred the sale of real
estate to Italian-Americans as well as to Jews or blacks.

http://www.rrstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID
=/20050803/OPINION0107/50803011

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