Divided yet United

A map of 10 of the societies in the greater Hartford Area.

There are over 40 Italian clubs in the greater Hartford area. Why is the community so divided? This fact is particularly interesting because most of the Italian families in the area are all from different areas of Sicily. These different societies mainly represent different towns in the province of Siracusa (Syracuse).

Floridian Ladies Society member Alfina Rizza comments on this divide in the community.

“There are so many societies just in Hartford and the funny thing is that most of them are from different parts of Sicily, towns that are right next to each other and they all do the same thing at their club meetings, said Rizza. I am not sure why, at the risk of stereotyping, I think Italians always had this thing about their town being better than others and wanting to be in control and not compromising too much,” said Rizza.

The clubs are also divided by interests such as different saints, education, and calcio (soccer). Some have been established to help improve the community and promote community service such as UNICO. Others give out scholarships such as the Sons of Italy, and those such as the Floridian Ladies Society are strictly social.

 

Cianfaglione, “Back in 1960 ‘s to 7o’s when the Italians came to Conn. they emigrated by the thousands from different regions and towns. Entire families and paisans (fellow townsmen) came together to form different groups because they did not know the language or the area. They adopted the idea of let us stay together within our own people. Italians today do participate on a larger scale in groups such as NIAF (National Italian American Foundation) and the Sons of Italy. Now we participate together as a whole and as separate groups,” said President of the COM.IT.ES. N.Y Conn. Quintino.

Though at first the community seems to be divided by various categories, there are organizations such as the Sons of Italy, NAIF , and UNICO that bring together Italians from many areas of Italy. These groups also unite when it comes to participating in Columbus Day ceremonies. As the generations begin to age and some of the smaller societies begin to disappear, the community should become even closer.

Columbus Celebration

This year marked the 55th anniversary of the Hartford Columbus Day Parade. Many Italian-Americans gathered together over three days to celebrate through a banquet, carnival, and parade. Al Marotta, the chairman of the parade, discusses what the parade means to the community as a whole and to himself.

Generation Gap!

This video is of local Italian-Americans explaining their degree of involvement in the community. It shows the differences in three generations of Italian-Americans.

Purpose

The purpose of this blog is to attempt to strengthen the bond between the younger and older generations. Organizations such as NIAF help the community to stay connected through their local community and the national Italian population. The greater Hartford area has been the hub of Italian-American activities and gatherings in Connecticut for decades. There are many different societies and groups geared towards different aspects of the community. There are clubs that are directed towards different interests such as soccer or saints. Many societies have been dedicated to the different areas of Italy that members migrated from.

In recent years it seems as though these societies and clubs have been surviving on the participation of the older generations. The younger generations do not seem to be getting involved in these clubs. This blog will attempt to find out why.

Through observation, it seems that attendance at Italian events has declined. Many families used to attend these festa’s and other activities. These events featured Italian food, music, games and often a raffle.

Has the new guido obsession taken over what teens think of their culture?  Is an individual’s culture and history not as important to the teens and young adults of today?

The purpose of the blog is to attempt to bring the generations back together through the family and the community as a whole.

Why this Blog was Created

This blog was created to inform the greater Hartford Italian-American community of events and issues that have arisen within the community.  It seems, through observation that the community is driven mostly by the participation of the older generations. This blog will attempt to inform the younger generations of their culture and attempt to bring discussion on the issue. Why is culture so important to some and not others? Why doesn’t the younger generation seem interested in participating in their culture? What is being done to involve the younger generations? These are questions that will be addressed through this blog.

What societies are most involved in the Italian community in Connecticut? How are they involved with the community as a whole?

The state of Connecticut has a large population of Italians and has many different cultural societies.

Culture is an aspect of society that helps to connect a group of people. It allows one person to relate to others around them who have similar backgrounds, goals, and interests. The Italian culture is a rich one. It encompasses a long line of history, art, food, music, dance, and language. One of the formal definitions of culture is “the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations.” This is according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

NIAF, the National Italian-American Foundation works with the community in all states and works with the national government. They promote Italian culture and events throughout the United States.

There seems to be a need to strengthen the cultural and generational bonds in the Italian community. This blog seeks to show the issues that are present within the community and ways that they can be resolved. Lastly, this blog was created to attempt to push aside the stereotypes associated with being Italian. Italianaware.com discusses how Italians are portrayed by others and the media. The culture is rich and strong and the positive aspects are what should be passed down through the generations.