RESOURCES
Here’s a list of resources that you may find helpful: associations, nonprofits, clubs, foundations, museums, public and private institutions, and whatever else we have found that we believe is of interest to Italifornians (Italians living in California), Italian-Americans, Italophiles, curious webnauts, and just simply admirers. It is not exhaustive, nor omni-comprehensive. How could it be? It is not a Polaroid from the past. On the contrary, it reflects a community in movement. However, it can be enriched. We count on you, our Members, to improve it. Please use this link to send us your suggestions: theitalifornians@gmail.com. The OAHIC Editorial staff reserves the right to post suggested Resources at their discretion.
ITALIAN-AMERICAN NEWSLETTERS
The latest news from California's leading Italian-American organizations
Italian American Heritage Foundation
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Italo Americano
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North Bay Italian Cultural Foundation
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Sons of Sicily
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Sons of Sicily Women's Club
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We The Italians California
ITALIAN-AMERICAN
INSTITUTIONS & ORGANIZATIONS
Throughout California
Coalition of Italian American Organizations
Bay Area
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Il Cenacolo Italian Cultural Club
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Italian American Heritage Foundation San Jose
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Museo Italo Americano
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Italian American Museum of Los Angeles
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Italian Heritage Society of Monterey Peninsula
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Little Italy San Jose
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Order Sons & Daughters of Italy In America
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Patrons of Italian Culture
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Sicilian Sisterhood
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Sons of Sicily
Finding The Mother Lode: Italian Immigrants in California
"This excellent film fills a real gap in our understanding of the complexity of the Italian immigration experience… It is a must see!" Carol L. McKibben, Historian, Stanford University
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Italians first came to California in large numbers with the Gold Rush. While most found little gold, they did find a “mother lode” (the rich vein of gold that the gold miners sought) in farming, fishing, commerce and making wine.
“Finding the Mother Lode” documents the experience of Italian immigrants in California, which was markedly different from that of their compatriots elsewhere in the United States. Through stories set in seven Italian communities throughout California, this film examines how economic and social mobility became possible for many Italians in the Golden State. It is also a look at how immigrant identity is maintained and transformed as immigrants become assimilated into mainstream America.
The current film is a follow-up to the filmmakers’ critically acclaimed “Pane Amaro/Bitter Bread” (2009) on the Italian immigration to the East Coast. “Finding the Mother Lode” too, is based on extensive research and weaves together oral histories by community members with scholarly analyses which provide the larger historical context.
Visit: findingthemotherlode.com
MEDIA
Museo Italo Americano: ieri, oggi e domani
Paola Bagnatori, Managing Director of the Museo Italo Americano, discusses it's founding.
Contributions of Italian Immigrants in Southern California
Interview with Marianna Gatto, Executive Director of the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles
Museo Italo Americano
COLORS of ITALY
CELEBRATING THE BLACK ITALIAN EXPERIENCE IN NEW YORK
A Presentation of the Italian Innovators YouTube Channel
What value does Italian culture and entrepreneurship bring to the contemporary world? Why does Italy represent - still today - an incredibly lively piazza of creativity and innovation? How does the Italian model of fusion of arts and entrepreneurship achieve global success? For more information click HERE.
‘Naples is the most northern of African cities’. This quote from actor and director Vittorio Gassman always makes me think about how unique this city is: halfway between Europe and Africa and close to Asia. It’s certainly one of the Mediterranean capitals.
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This quote might be construed as insensitive but Gassman means to highlight Napoli as being in the center and not at the borders; always a mixture of new worlds and cultures — never isolated in a single space.
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In a culture and a country that is strongly attached to “tradition” and has little capacity for discussion and vision towards the future – just see how angry Italians get if you get the recipe wrong or if you put pineapple on pizza? – Naples manages to be itself by absorbing and rendering the influences that seep into it from outside, inserting them into its story. Pizza anyone?
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Click HERE to read the story on RANSOME NOTE / The Mediterranean File
NATIONAL ITALIAN AMERICAN SUMMIT MEETING
355 Italian American groups in inaugural virtual meeting!
CLICK HERE for a rebroadcast of the first-ever nationwide
Italian American Summit Meeting, held on Saturday, February 20, 2021
GROWING UP ITALIAN
By Tony Porrazzo
Italian-American life was special for us because we had the good fortune to be raised in Italian-American homes. Homes where family, love, and loyalty were the most important elements of life. Homes where we felt safe and secure. Homes that provided us with strong values and a strong faith in God. How wonderful it would be if our children and grandchildren could also experience such an upbringing.
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