The Italian Americans: a new documentary series to shed light on our own history

“My fellow Americans, we are and always will be a nation of immigrants. We were strangers once, too.”

Screenwriter, director, and producer John Maggio quoted a famous speech of U.S. President Barack Obama (November 20th, 2014) in presenting his latest documentary series The Italian Americans, dedicated to the Italian experience in America. The debate on immigration has always been a topical one and, as Maggio pointed out, “The importance of this film is that it mirrors the current situation, the way history repeats itself. You really have to work.”

After a number of special previews, organized nationwide in collaboration with NIAF and WETA, the acclaimed 4-hour series narrated by actor Stanley Tucci will premiere on PBS on Tuesdays, February 17 and 24, 2015. It is also accompanied by a companion book, authored by Maria Laurino, offering a more in-depth analysis.

In the presence of many representatives of the Institutions and leading figures from the local Italian American community, such as Consul General Antonio Verde, Marianna Gatto (IAMLA), Cynthia Catalino (IHCF), Emanuela Boni (ENIT), West Hooker-Poletti and Letizia Miccoli (IACCW), the screening and O&A at the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles was hosted by director Valeria Rumori and introduced by NIAF officers Marcella Leonetti Tyler and Elissa Ruffino. Guest of honor Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino couldn’t attend, but his field deputy Joseph Campbell presented citations of recognition to PBS Southern California, NIAF, and director John Maggio.

As one of the directors of the PBS documentary Finding Your Roots, I was constantly asked about my own ancestry. I knew that both my great-grandparents were Sicilians, but had no idea of who the immigrant was in my family history. PBS offered me the opportunity to work on a series about the Italian immigration to the U.S. from 1860 to present. There are over 15 million Americans of Italian descent, and I discovered many stories like my own, stories of common people who barely know their genealogy. Even well known characters were approached from a different angle: for example, not many people know that DiMaggio had to join the U.S. army to prove that his parents weren’t enemy aliens.

Most of them were illiterate and spoke different dialects, so the lack of a written tradition made it difficult to pass down their national heritage to the new generations. Also, the Italians didn’t come to the U.S. to stay – they were known as the “birds of passage” -, at least until the immigration laws of 1922 forced them to choose between their mother country and the land of opportunity.

It took them a very long time to assimilate, in particular those who came from southern Italy. Anything south of the Po River was considered as a separate race. World War II represented a milestone, as many Italians signed up their children and entered the government plan for veterans, which granted either free education or housing.  Most Italians chose the latter, which held them back, and became craftsmen, so the following generation finally went to college. Another cause of discrimination was the exploitation by the U.S. media of the mafia narrative, linked to the Italian idea of family ties, which affected even prominent Italian American the likes of NY Governor Mario Cuomo. In the series, I wanted to dismantle some of the myths in The Godfather, which has been considered for a long time the history of Italians in America.

Of course, nowadays the cultural richness and beauty of Italy is widely recognized in the United States as well as worldwide. Yet the series shows the inevitable bargain that accompanied this long process: becoming Americans meant to lose their traditions, language, and culture to fully integrate in the mainstream society. Some values can be preserved, like the ritual of family meals, but most of them need to be given up in order to fit in.

Unlike other groups, in the U.S. there are very few educational programs in Italian, and it’s important for young Italian Americans to understand where they come from. In addition, a lot of young Italians of recent immigrations – whose stories unfortunately couldn’t be included in this series – are doing great things in the fields of technology and arts. I really hope that The Italian Americans will start a broader conversation on these topics.

Roseto represents the ideas of family and intimacy ascribed to the Italians, which don’t have to be linked to organized crime at all costs. It was the perfect story to start the conversation: a little town in southern Pennsylvania, founded in the early 20th century by Italian immigrants from Roseto Valfortore, in Apulia region, who brought with them their own lifestyle and traditions.

Scientific studies revealed that, despite a not particularly healthy diet, the rate of heart diseases in that community was extraordinarily low, due to the tightness of their families, less stress and worries. In the late 1970s their farm-based livelihood didn’t work anymore and the new generations left, so the rate of heart diseases started to increase.

Yet every year the population of Roseto returns to the village to celebrate together. Similar stories can be found all over the United States, and they challenge the usual way of seeing the Italian Americans. When writing a film you always need to create a structure capable of engaging the audience, but I didn’t want it to be too romantic. I just wanted it to be honest.