JULY/AUGUST 2012PAGE 12
JULY/AUGUST 2012ITALIAN AMERICANS INWORLD WAR IIFew people are aware that more than half a million<strong>Italian</strong>s living in the United States during WorldWar II suffered serious violations <strong>of</strong> their civilrights.ITALIAN AMERICANWOMENBLAZERSTRAIL<strong>Italian</strong> American women have led the way forwomen in business, politics, labor and many otherfields.* Shortly after the United States declared war * <strong>The</strong> first American saint was Mother Franceson Italy in 1941, the federal government classified Cabrini, who founded the Missionary Sisters <strong>of</strong> themore than 600,000 <strong>Italian</strong>s living in the United States Sacred Heart and recruited over 4,000 sisters to aidas “internal enemies.”her efforts. Mother Cabrini founded 14 American* From February through October 1942, the colleges, 98 schools, 28 orphanages and eightUnited States imposed restrictions on these 600,000 hospitals. She emigrated to the U.S. in 1889 and<strong>Italian</strong>s, most <strong>of</strong> whom had been living in the United became a U.S. citizen in 1909. She died in 1917 andStates since the turn <strong>of</strong> the century.was canonized in 1946.* As “enemy aliens,” <strong>Italian</strong>s were required to * <strong>The</strong> first woman to run for national <strong>of</strong>ficeregister at the nearest post <strong>of</strong>fice, carry identification was Geraldine Ferraro, who was the Democraticcards, and report all job changes. <strong>The</strong>y could not candidate for vice president in 1984. Mrs. Ferraro alsotravel more than five miles from their homes, had to served in Congress, representing a district in Queens,adhere to curfews, and were forbidden to own guns, New York, from 1979 to 1985.cameras, and short-wave radios.* <strong>The</strong> first woman ever elected governor in* <strong>The</strong> Army forced more than 100 U.S. her own right was Ella T. Grasso <strong>of</strong> Connecticut.citizens <strong>of</strong> <strong>Italian</strong> birth to relocate from the east and Born in 1919, Ella Grasso was elected to U.S.west coasts and the Gulf <strong>of</strong> Mexico to “safe” inland House <strong>of</strong> Representatives in 1970. According to thezones.Library <strong>of</strong> Congress, Mrs. Grasso was also the first* <strong>The</strong> restrictions caused many <strong>Italian</strong>s to <strong>Italian</strong> American woman elected to Congress. Shelose their jobs and limited the freedom <strong>of</strong> movement served until 1975 when she was elected governor<strong>of</strong> thousands <strong>of</strong> others, including a fisherman named <strong>of</strong> Connecticut. She brought the state out <strong>of</strong> debt,Giuseppe DiMaggio, who could not visit the San personally organized a massive relief effort during aFrancisco restaurant owned by his son, Joe DiMaggio. 1978 blizzard , and created an “open government,”* During World War II, an estimated 1.2 which gave ordinary citizens easier access to publicmillion Americans <strong>of</strong> <strong>Italian</strong> descent served in the records. Ella Grasso died <strong>of</strong> cancer in 1981 at age 62.U.S. military, constituting one <strong>of</strong> the largest segments * In 1998, Patricia Fili-Krushel became the<strong>of</strong> the US combat forces <strong>of</strong> about 12 million.president <strong>of</strong> ABC Television and the first woman everHowever, elderly <strong>Italian</strong> mothers and fathers were not to head a major network.allowed to visit sons in the U.S. armed forces, who* <strong>The</strong> first woman ever toedit <strong>The</strong> Journal <strong>of</strong>were assigned to military installations.the AmericanMedical Association (JAMA) in its 116-* <strong>The</strong> Immigration and Naturalization Service year history is Catherine De Angelis, M.D. Vice deanheld nearly 3,300 <strong>Italian</strong>s in internment camps for at Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins School <strong>of</strong> Medicine, shevarying lengths <strong>of</strong> time during the war.became a nurse, then put herself through college and* During the same period, the mayorsmedical school. A pediatrician and child advocate,<strong>of</strong> two <strong>of</strong> America’s largest cities were <strong>Italian</strong> she was born in Pennsylvania where her fatherAmericans:Angelo Rossi <strong>of</strong> San Franciscoworked in a silk mill. Dr. De Angelis became JAMAand Fiorello LaGuardia <strong>of</strong> New York. Both were sons editor in 2000.<strong>of</strong> <strong>Italian</strong> immigrants.* Mary Lou Retton was the first American* For more information, see ”<strong>The</strong> UnknownInternment” by Stephen Fox. <strong>The</strong> book is available PAGE 13