Saturday, April 26, 2008

California Assembly Bill AB1863 For Schools to Include the Contributions of Italian-Americans

The ANNOTICO Report

 

Italian American Activists in California are supporting Assembly Bill AB1863, a bill introduced in January that would encourage schools to include the contributions of Italian-Americans in social studies. A similar bill had made it to the governor's desk during the previous legislative session, but was returned at the request of the Assembly, according to the state's legislative information Web site.

 

In the1960s, the push for "Minority Rights" and an emphasis on Minority ethnic studies, to teach Minorities their "Victimization" and PRIDE in their Heritage and Culture,  and took an Anti-Eurocentric view of history, that erroneously labeled ALL White Europeans as "Oppressors", rather than realistically the Anglo Saxons, made study of ANY European history unpopular.

 

Ironically, the greatest surge of Italian Immigrants came between 1880-1920, and themselves were treated in a most cruel manner, and only until 1940 did Italian Americans begin gain any respect, when they were weighed down by Mussolini's policies, and then by the 70s started to recover again, when they were "blitzed" with the "Godfather" and the torrent of "imitators" that tied the 'mafia" anchor around the Italian- Americans neck. 

 

Italian Americans wound up having the "worst" of both world.

 

First they were considered "inferior" Mediterranean, who labored at the lowest of jobs, and looked down upon

Then, they were lumped in with Europeans that were "Oppressors", and looked down upon.

 

Often, Impression is more important than Reality.

 

Farmers Focus on Italian Roots

Contra Costa Times

By Eric Louie

Staff Writer

March 31, 2008

Ralph Lucchetti's parents started their east Stockton family farm more than six decades ago.

But the 55-year-old owner of the Fruit Bowl, which includes a fruit stand, bakery and ice cream shop, say the roots of other area Italian-American farms go much deeper.

"My family doesn't go that far back," he said. "I'm kind of the unique one."

Lucchetti will be one of several speakers next month at a conference at Las Positas College in Livermore discussing the contributions of Italian immigrant farmers in the Central Valley. There will be panels of speakers from Stockton, Modesto, Madera and Fresno talking about the histories of those areas and their own experiences.

The conference is the first event in a partnership between the Western Regional Chapter of the American Italian Historical Association and the community college. Organizers hope to hold more events discussing the history of those immigrants, said Teri Ann Bengiveno a Las Positas history instructor and president of the historical association chapter.

Bengiveno said the majority of Italian immigrants, especially in California, came in the 1880s to 1920s, heading here from Ellis Island on the East Coast or other entry points, such as New Orleans.

Ken Scambray, an English professor at the University of La Verne who grew up in Fresno, said census records show nearly 23,000 foreign-born Italians in California in 1900. That grew to nearly 101,000 by 1940.

"Italians were the largest (group of) foreign-born Europeans in California and the U.S.," he said.

Lawrence DiStasi, a Bolinas resident working on the conference, said Italians worked along with other immigrants in agriculture.

"A lot of them started small. Very often they would work for someone else," he said. DiStasi said many have now become owners. "Most of them are still there."

Yet they say it is a history that's not widely recognized.

Scambray said the 1960s push for ethnic studies and away from a "Eurocentric" view of history made studying Italian history unpopular.

"There developed an anti-European sentiment," he said. "People stopped thinking about Europeans in the United States."

Bengiveno also said their community also has not pushed hard for recognition.

"Italians and Italian-Americans really haven't demanded the story be told," she said. "It's not going to be told by itself."

She said the focus on Italian-American history has been on the East Coast, where the Italian population is bigger.

That, however, is beginning to change, conference organizers said. They are supporting AB1863, a bill introduced in January that would encourage schools to include the contributions of Italian-Americans in social studies. A similar bill had made it to the governor's desk during the previous legislative session, but was returned at the request of the Assembly, according to the state's legislative information Web site.

As for Lucchetti, the farm owner, he said the number of Italian-American farms is declining along with the disappearance of family farms. Some farmers don't have children, and some of their children have gone into other businesses.

Lucchetti said he remembered telling his dad, now deceased, that he was going into farming.

"He said I was crazy," Lucchetti said. But he said many Italian farmers remain. "I'd say we're still a significant force."

Eric Louie covers education. Reach him at 925-847-2123 or elouie@bayareanewsgroup.com.

 

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