Wednesday,
February 21,
Italian Ethnic Pride Turns
"Garry" Back to "Giarraputo"
The
ANNOTICO Report
The
national "political flip flop" from "Assimilation" to
"Diversity" in the early 70s, that launched Ethnic Studies for
"minorities" to instill Pride, left Americans of Euro
Ethnicity in a void.
A
"mere" American with NO Ethnic "connection" began feeling like
an "orphan". And as long as other Ethnicities continue to foster that
Ethnic Pride, the Italian Communities failure to provide Italian Studies
programs will "short change" it's younger generation.
The
"mere" study of the Italian Language is Not
enough. And as touching the story below is, the "mere" changing of
the family surname is neither not enough.Foster
Italian and Italian American Studies in your Schools and your Community!!!!
Below:
Giarraputo became Garry after the father was told
he wouldn't advance in the insurance business with an Italian name, when
Italian-Americans were the most numerical victims of ethnic
intolerance.
When
the kids discovered their "roots", they were enthralled with the idea
of reclaiming their original surname.
But Dr.
Garry -- was on the fence, even in these supposedly advanced years, with the concern about the effect his "Italian"
surname would have on his medical practice.
Ethnic
pride leads family to reassume real surname
Courier Post
Christina Mitchell Ties That
Bind
February 20. 2007
When
fourth-grader Ryan Garry embarked on a school project about his ethnic
heritage, he was at a loss: There wasn't a lot of information on the surname
Garry.
But when he
looked up his dad's original surname, Giarraputo,
Ryan hit the jackpot.
That school
project one year ago renewed a discussion between Ryan's parents, Gibbsboro psychiatrist Dr. Leonard Garry, and his wife,
Linda, about reclaiming the original surname.
Garry's father,
also Leonard, had changed his name to Garry decades ago, after being told he
wouldn't advance in the insurance business with a name like Giarraputo.
"The kids
knew the history already," says Giarraputo, a
father of four who lives in
But the doctor --
whose aunts, uncles and cousins had kept the name Giarraputo
-- was on the fence, concerned about the effect on his medical practice.
"There was a
lot of thought that went into this," says Linda Giarraputo,
who first discussed the name change with her husband when they married in 1991.
"For me,
personally, and for my children, it was a no-brainer. But for Len, it wasn't
that easy."
"I had a
couple of sleepless nights," her husband adds. "But I thought about
it for a while and it really seemed like the right thing to do."
Three months of
paperwork and a couple of trips to Motor Vehicles later, the Garrys officially became the Giarraputos
in October. The doctor's patients were fine with the change, but, just in case,
he still answers to Dr. Garry or just "Dr. G."
Giarraputo's daughter Brianna Rose, 9,
was thrilled the name translated to "wild rose," while the youngest,
6-year-old Megan, still is grappling with the
spelling. The Giarraputos also have a 13-year-old
daughter, Amanda.
In the end, the
change has been a lesson in how things used to be -- when Italian-Americans
were among victims of ethnic intolerance -- and, in a sense, how they still
are, given the current anti-immigrant mood of the country.
"I'm
sensitized to the effect of change as a mental health issue," says Giarraputo, 42. "And I liked that it sensitized our
kids.
"This isn't about wanting to become Italian again. We love being
Americans. And it's because of where we live that we were able to do
this."
Linda Giarraputo believes her children learned a priceless
lesson. "It's OK to be who you are in this day and age," she adds.
"You can be proud of it."
For Giarraputo's father, the original name
change "wasn't an easy decision," says his son.
"But it was
the right decision for the time," Giarraputo
adds. "And now there's a sense of pride in my being able to take the name
back."
Giarraputo's relatives recently
researched the family ancestry and discovered most of the clan settled in
either
"It's a neat
feeling of reconnection with the family," says Giarraputo,
who recently received a note from his Uncle Frank that read, "Welcome back
to the fold."
Ties That Bind is
a weekly column about families.
If you have a story
to tell, contact Christina Mitchell at (856) 317-7905 or cmitchellat
courierpostonline.com.
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