Italian American Heritage Month is celebrated in October to recognize the contributions and achievements of Italian immigrants and their descendants living in the United States, and reflect on their histories, traditions, and culture. In 1880, Italians began migrating to the U.S. to flee rural poverty in Southern Italy and Sicily. Today, Americans of Italian descent are the nation’s fifth-largest ethnic group. This heritage month was first celebrated in 1989 by President George H. W. Bush and Congress.
We are committed to fostering an inclusive campus community by recognizing, embracing, respecting, and celebrating the expansive range and dimensions of diversity, cultures, experiences, and ideas contained within our UHart community
Join us for the "Beyond the Godfather and the Sopranos" Discussion
- Date: Monday, Oct. 28
- Time: 12:45 to 2 p.m.
- Location: Shaw Center
While Italians and Italian Americans are often depicted stereotypically, many people are unaware of the difficulties, prejudice, and discrimination that those groups have endured, nor of their many significant accomplishments.
Meet the Presenters:
Carl Antonucci, PhD, Director of Library Services, Central Connecticut State University, will address the Italian American cultural experience, utilizing the stories of the Pick and Shovel Poet, Pascal D’Angelo, Pietro DiDonato, and Reverend Felix Powell (Felice DiPaolo) and his own Italian American family to chronicle the history of the Italian diaspora to the United States.
Rafaele Fierro, PhD, Professor of History, Tunxis Community College, will discuss the Connecticut immigration and acculturation patterns of Italians, especially single men, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Celebration and recognition of the various ethnic and marginalized groups is important. It provides us with opportunities to help us understand our own cultures and identities as well as the cultures of others. Join us for an enlightening presentations and discussion.
Sponsored by: Office of Inclusive Excellence and Belonging.