Italian-Americans

Italian-Americans

Sarah Dubicki

11/1/12 3110 Diversity/Oppression and Social Justice

When most Americans hear the word Italian they think about restaurants like Andiamos, or pizza. Not many Americans would think past that, unless they had Italian in their ancestry. However, social workers need to be prepared to speak with anyone from any ethnic background and to be able to connect with

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someone and encourage them to open up to you, you need to understand where they are coming from. You need to understand what they hold dear to them and what they believe.

When Italians first came to America, they were escaping war, poverty, and exploitation. Back in Italy, this did not encourage a strong group dynamic, and instead Italians needed to depend on family. Family is one of the things that encouraged Italians over here in the first place. When Italians came to the US, they were not coming to stay. The general goal was to come, get a job and save money, and go home. In fact, many did send money home or return home themselves. Often, they took jobs in the city where wages were higher, but the jobs could be dangerous or labor-intensive. They would choose to live in horrible conditions to save money for their family. Eventually, when Italians started to settle down and planned on staying, they established multiple societies to promote kinship, and to encourage cultural traditions to continue in America. Unlike other ethnic groups when women took jobs they did not go into a serving position. Instead they would take jobs they could do at home so they were not far from their families.

Today, Italian-Americans still put family first. Often, they even go so far as to have family owned business and restaurants. Think about any big city, cities like Chicago, New York City, etc. These places all have something in common. They have a Little Italy or something very much like it. If you were to go to Little Italy, you can be guaranteed pizza, pasta, or another Italian delicacy, and its not

Italian-Americans made in bulk the way it would be at a chain. The people who run these

establishments make everything from scratch, and often with a family recipe that is promised to have been passed down through the generations. My best friend, Meaghin is half Italian. She has extended family all over the world; Chicago, New York City, Italy, etc. One thing about her family is, even if they have never met in person, they are more then welcome to stay with each other whenever they are in the same city. This is part of the concept that family is everything. Her mother keeps in touch with them through email and phone calls, and there is an open door policy to anyone even if they arent direct family.

When it comes to identity, Italians do what they need to do to keep their traditions alive. Many Italian families only speak Italian in the home, and this continues to connect them. My best friend said that her grandfather used to do the same. Although she had never met him, she has grown up hearing stories of his venture to America, and about his undeniable happy attitude. Her mother and her aunts all speak Italian and continue to do so at family gatherings. Also, Catholicism and Italians go hand in hand. Most, if not all, Italian families continue to practice Catholicism, as they would have in Italy. They get a strong sense of identity with their religion, and this encourages them to live a life not only as their family would wish, but their religion. This causes stress when people do not wish to follow what their family wishes. I would say that the biggest cause of stress that I found is deviance from Catholicism or the family ways. This would cause stress for anyone, but for a group of people who is so family orientated, this would be extremely tough.

Italian-Americans Gender roles in the Italian culture are close to the traditional roles that

many ethnic groups share. The idea that the husband works and provides for his family, and the wife stays home and tends to her family. Today in America this tradition is a little less common, as working women are becoming more prevalent in culture. However this is a tradition rooted in the culture and this still bleeds through today. Meaghins mother works today, although her mother before her did not. With todays culture it is very common for women to work to either provide their own income or supplement their husbands. The consequences of that for her in particular was that when she started working she received criticism. However my best friends family gets together for dinner, all the women pitch in to make a big Italian meal from scratch. They still continue to partake in the assigned gender roles on occasion, although not in every way.

When it comes to other systems such as educational, religious, occupational and judicial, Italian-Americans are involved with each. Religiously, with such a strong tie to Catholicism, there is high involvement with the church and the community involved. Meaghins mother and her mothers family are all extremely religious, and her mothers family is very involved with the church. This also transcends into educational, as there is catholic school (which Meaghin attended until high school).

The Italian culture is sometimes transmitted easily. When I was in New York City there was a festival in Little Italy that was being set up. There were tents with the Italian flag painted on them, and the advertisement promised

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authentic Italian food, wine, and fun. They transmit their traditions in cooking with all the restaurants, and their focus on family in the fact that their businesses are family owned, and family orientated. Not many Italian restaurants are places that you cant take your family to.

This group compares to other ethnic groups with similarities and heavy differences. Take the Irish. When the Irish came to this country it was in very different circumstances. They came as slaves and indentured servants. Italian women did not work as servants, but instead worked from home. The Irish also came over later to stay and wanted land for permanent lives in this country, where Italians wanted to come for money then to leave. Both cultures today are very strong and have many influences in American culture as a whole. The Irish however do not have as obvious an influence in many cities. Many people consider St. Pattys day an Irish holiday though, even though it is technically a religious holiday. Both ethnic groups have ties to Catholicism as well. However, when the Italians immigrated over to the United States, the Irish had a monopoly on the catholic churches so they had to form their own. They needed a safe place to worship and keep their traditions alive.

On a micro level to best help an Italian client and gain their trust, you would need to ask about their families and understand how important that is for them, much like some of the other ethic groups we have discussed in class. To best help someone you need to understand the root problems, and without their trust how can you get to that point? Understanding their family and identity, or the

Italian-Americans role that religion plays in their lives is important in providing any kind of help for

them. On a macro level, you need to understand that a family can be a very big group of people. It could be a whole community. A community that may be in need of help for their youth, may need you to get involved with the church and with the committees that are in place in that community. That could be the best way to get a big change done, is to utilize the connections that they hold dear.

Italian-Americans have had a very interesting journey into our society as it is today. They had to battle poor conditions before coming over to the United States, and then often had to be separated from their families for very long periods of time. They took some of the worst jobs there were at the time, in order to get the money they needed to help their family. They are a people with family values at the center of their identity, and strong ties to religion. They have provided us with some of the greatest art in history, and have continued to amaze in America. They are a very rich culture and make up a great deal of the American culture.

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Bibliography
American immigration law foundation. (2004, May 17). Retrieved from http://www.ailf.org/awards/benefit2004/ahp04essay.asp

Italy - Education And Gender Roles. (2011). Retrieved from http://family.jrank.org/pages/979/Italy-Education-Gender-Roles.html

Mintz, S. (2012, March 21). Digital history . Retrieved from http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/italian_immigration.cfm