Italian American 1960-1990

1. Italian American1960-1990 By Errin Daniels Jonathan Mundy KatiePoston Maria Viviana Oropeza Tyler Johnson

2. Italian Migration • Italian Migration to America • 1876 to 1880 - 44,000 Italian Immigrants • 1880 to 1900 - 490,000 or 1.5% of US population • Over 26 million Italians between 1876 & 1976 • Different regions of US (1910) • Sicilians mainly in New Orleans • Neapolitans & Calabrians in Minnesota • Northern Italians in California • Majority in New York (472,000) & Pennsylvania (200,000)

3. Role Model’s • Sports Figures – • Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Mario Andretti • Television - • Danny DiVito, Ray Romano, Tony Danza • Penny Marshall, Michael Badalucco • Frank Sonatra, Tony Bennett, Sonny Bono • Dean Martin, Matt LeBlanc, John Travolta • “Although Italian Americans or actors playing Italian American roles have been part of television's golden age, many in the ethnic community feel strongly that the medium has yet to truly balance negative representations with positive ones”

4. Major Events • 1970 - Ella Grasso the first woman elected State Governor in her own right • 1982 - Mario Cuomo, the first Italian American elected Governor of New York • 1984 - Geraldine Ferraro, the first Italian American woman of a major party to run for the Vice Presidency • 1986 - Antonin Scalia, the first Italian American to serve on the United States Supreme Court

5. Italian-American Play After immigrating to America in the early 1900s, many Italian families were “Americanized” as quickly as possible. By 1970, many children of immigrants had moved out of Italian enclaves. Italian Americans have a strong “peer group society.” Italian American children have experienced the same games and toys as most American children due to decades of assimilation into American culture. -hopscotch -jump rope -baseball, basketball, soccer, swimming -Nintendo, Atari -ping pong -computer games -board games

6. BocceA traditional Italian Game Equipment: * 1 small “Jack” or “Pallino” ball * 8 large balls (4 of one color and 4 of another color) Object of the game: *Set up teams with even number of people on each, up to four people per team *Place the Pallino ball at a desired position *Use the large balls to get closest to Pallino *Can knock opponents balls away from Pallino * Similar to the game of Horse-shoes

7. Storybooks for Italian-American Children Strega Nona * by Tomie DePaola * * series began in 1976 * * winner of the Caldecott Honor * Other Strega Nona books: * Strega Nona, Her Story * Strega Nona’s Magic Lessons * Strega Nona Meets Her Match * Merry Christmas Strega Nona Other authors of storybooks for children: Elisa Bartone, Ruth Sanderson, Susan Campbell Bartoletti

8. The Family • Family is a huge part of Italian Culture. • The mother is the center of the family. • Grandmothers lived very close by. • Family life centered around the kitchen. • After attending church there would be a feast.

9. Education • (History) Children would get as much education as they needed to get by. More emphasis on hard work than education. • It was believed if the child got more education than the parents that it would separate the family. • (By 1960) Parents now began sacrificing for their children to get educations. • Used to not feel education was important for girls, but by this time girls were attending ivy league schools. • The descendents of the working class are now political leaders. (Rudy Gulianni)

10. Growing Up • The ideal child rearing as it remains today is to cultivate people to be well educated, but this is viewed as a frivolity and time is spent better learning the lessons of manhood and womanhood. • Children are not tolerated to have excessive clinginess, based on more independent reliance, especially in the case of males • Teens learn the less admirable aspects of their heritage from entertainment industry stereotyping. Teens' perceptions of other ethnic, religious, and racial groups are shaped by entertainment industry stereotypes. • The constant mafia image makes the challenge of developing an identity that does not fall into the stereotype of restaurant worker, hit man, or lackey

11. Gender Roles • Girls were often less permitted to achieve a fair amount of education because if the lack of vocational need. The majority of tasks needed to be learned were taught within the home. • In the early 1950s, cliques and gangs were formed of the same sex. Boys being the most prevalent in joining these cliques because of their ability to play freely. In comparison, girls were mostly kept indoors. • As children the boys of the Italian American ethnicity were allowed many more privileges and opportunity in comparison to the opposite gender. The male gender is groomed as children to become more prominent men. • Boys are taught to distrust anyone outside their group, a cynicism toward teachers, and a conscious effort to maintaining a successful athletic prowess. • As a woman and a great housekeeper, cook, seamstress, arts-and-crafts stay-at-home mother

12. Catholic Italian Church • Established in the United States to bring Italians into the Church • Catholic Irish parishes were already established but did not bring Italians into church due to discrimination • 1924 Catholic Italian Federation established to bring Italians back into the Catholic church.

13. Catholic Practices • Baptism- Pouring water over child’s head in a mass, it is said to erase original sin every child is born with and accept them formally into the church ( Newborn to 3 yrs old). • Confirmation- Child’s acceptance of Catholicism in his life (before or after communion). • Communion- the accepting of the Eucharist which represents to be body and blood of Jesus (between age 8-12).

14. Children in Mass • Children’s Literacy of the Word- At a certain time children are taken out of temple and into prospective classrooms according to grade level to be taught the word of the day in their own level (children’s mass). • Sunday School -for teachings to prepare for confirmation and first communion. • Youth ministry is often available

15. Children participation in the church now and then(1960-1990). • Children have more services available Such as: • Sunday school for different levels • Literacy of the word • Make church more appealing to children • Participate in charities

16. Children’s Teachings within the Catholic Italian Church • Taught to believe and love Jesus • To be good to others no matter what • Forgiveness • To do apostolic works: • Charities for the less fortunate (homeless, elderly etc.)

17. St. Mary of the Annunciation Parish School (Massachusetts) • Established to keep Italians faithful in the Catholic church • Prayer sessions: morning (arrival), afternoon (parting), lunch and Snack • Teaches children from Pre-school to 8th grade • Catholic Morals • Values within the catholic church • Catholic church History

18. Study Questions • Who is the famous Italian Race Car Driver? • How may Italians migrated to America between 1876 & 1976? • What is the name of one traditional Italian game and what important story book series began in 1976 that showed aspects of Italian culture to children? • Why was it that Italian-American children during the 1960s-1990s “played” like other American children? • What are some of the key challenges that Italian American children and teens face in developing in the American society? • What are some key difference between male and female children, as well as the key differences between male and female adults in regards to gender? • Are there any challenges that began to raise questions of gender identity as related to Italian Americans in the time period 1950-1990? • Historically, why didn’t parents want their children to get an education? • Who does the Italian family center around?

19. Study Questions Cont. • What is the Children’s Literary Word or the Day? • What does Sunday School prepare you for? • Is children’s participation in the church greater or less now than before? • What are Charities also know as ? • What was St. Mary of the Annunciation School established primarily for? • What grades does this school teach? • What are the teachings in this school that are not in a regular public school curriculum? • What are some catholic practices? • What does the Eucharist signify?

20. Bibliography • Alba, Richard, D. Italian Americans. Prentice-Hall, Inc.: Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey; 1985. • Bordonaro, Frank, D.D.S. (a short interview) • “Italian For Children.” John D. Calandra Italian American Institute http://qcpages.qc.cuny.edu/calandra/ • Mangione, Jerre and Ben Morreale. La Storia: 5 Generations of the Italian American Experience. Harper Collins: New York, New York; 1992. • “Rules Of Bocce.” http://www.centralconnector.com/GAMES/bocce.html • Spinelli, Jerry. Knots in My Yo-Yo String: The Autobiography of a Kid. Alfred A Knopf, Inc.: New York; 1998. • http://www.italiansrus.com/articles/joedimaggio.htm • http://www.andretti.com/andrettis/mario-andretti.asp • http://www.yogiberra.com/about.html • http://library.thinkquest.org/20619/Itailian.html • http://www.cyberitalian.com/html/gal_3.htm • Italians in America: The Journey Home • A&E Video 2004 • The Social Background of the Italo-American School Child • Leonard Covello, 1967. E.J. Brill • Crossing Cultural Borders: Education for Immigrant families in America • Concha Delgado-Gaitan and Henry Trueba, 1991. The Falmer Press • http://www.iawa.net • http://www.Italianancestry.com • http://www.Italianamericans.com • St. Mary of the Annunciation Parish, 46 Myrtle St. Melrose, Massachusetts 02176. (781) 665-3707 • Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, 1629 Columbia St. San Diego, CA 92101 (619)234-4820 • St. Therese Parish, 6016 Camino Rico, San Diego CA,92120 (619)582-3716 • Holy Rosary Church, 595 Third St. N.W, Washington, D.C. 20001 • Catholic-Italian Federation- Vince Marc Antonio- President (619) 562-2265