Tuesday, July 31, 2007

"Italian Ethnic Renaissance" Claimed by Author Dominic Pulera

The ANNOTICO Report

 

Professor Richard Alba wrote “Italian-Americans: Into the Twilight of Ethnicity, (1984)

 

From the beginning I disputed Alba's conclusions. I felt he was too simplistic in his conclusions, and that he overlooked the effect that  Government funded Ethnic Studies Programs for Minorities, in the early 1970s would have a "spill over" or "backlash"  effect, and while the Euro Americans would not have the benefit of K-12, plus University courses, would not stop them from searching for their "Roots".

 

We in the Italian American community must try to make our youth's quest for knowledge of their heritage easier to access!

 

Author: Italian-Americans Searching for Ethnic Roots

 

Ironwood Daily Globe

By Eric Hjerstedt Sharp

Sunday,July 29, 2007

HURLEY -- Italian-Americans throughout the country are rediscovering their ethnic roots now more than ever, said author Dominic Pulera at the Iron County Historical Museum Thursday.

"American-born citizens are going back and becoming citizens of Italy and establishing dual citizenships," Pulera said. "Instruction in the Italian language is outpacing that of foreign language instruction overall."

"We are in the midst of an 'ethnic renaissance,'" he said.

Pulera is the author of "Sharing the Dream: White Males in Multicultural America" and "Visible Differences: Why Race Will Matter in the 21st Century." He is in town to establish a dialogue with Italian-Americans throughout the region. Besides giving the presentation, he talked and shot video of Italian-Americans and landmarks throughout the area.

His next book entitled, "Green, White, and Read: The Italian-American Success Story," will draw upon this and other trips he has made visiting families of the Lake Superior region. A Janesville, Wis., native, and graduate of Beloit College, he has had a life-long interest in tracing his Italian heritage.

Though quoting demographic figures -- 19 percent of Iron County residents; and 14 percent of Gogebic County residents are Italian-American -- Pulera also told stories of four people and their families throughout the United States who were in some way strongly influenced by experiences they encountered because of their Italian ancestry.

The recurring theme of his stories demonstrated the fortitude against prejudice and poverty that eventually saw the ethnicity merge into mainstream American society. He pointed to Dec. 7, 1941, especially, as the pivotal point which completed the acceptance of the ethnicity for other Americans.

Several people, many of Italian descent, filled the old courtroom upstairs. After his talk, people recounted their own experiences growing up in the area.

Tom DeCarlo of Ironwood, whose family immigrated from Sicily to the Gogebic Range, presented Pulera with a bottle of his homemade red Italian wine, made in the tradition carried down to him from Italy. A miner for many years, De Carlo was among the people who recounted his Gogebic Range background.

Holding up such notables as talk show host Jay Leno and House speaker Nancy Pelosi; while pointing to the popularity of the movie "The Godfather" and the recent television hit "The Sopranos," Pulera said Italian-Americans had made contributions to American society in greater proportions than their numbers would indicate.

"They make up 6 percent of the U.S. population," he said. "Now, rather than change their last name to hide their ethnicity, Italian-Americans are changing their names back to their original Italian names."

Pulera said Italian-Americans were discriminated against in the early years when they immigrated to the United States, but were finally accepted into the mainstream fully after World War II. He said past "milestones of increasing acceptance of Italian-Americans...have passed almost unnoticed."

"Finally...There were signs of increasing acceptance of Italian-Americans," he said.

"There is one last obstacle: the stereotyping of ties to organized crime, which must be overcome."

He said the rise in the popularity of Italian foods and the opera and "all things Italian" has surged in recent decades.

 

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