I am of Italian, specifically Sicilian, descent. All of my great-grandparents on both my maternal and paternal sides were born in Sicily. They instilled important traditions and values in their families, all of them having to work hard to build lives for themselves when they came to America. They lived in a world where nothing was handed to you, especially not to immigrants, and they worked for everything.
Food is a very important part of my culture. For Italians, dinnertime is a time when the entire family gathers and really connects with one another, as we sometimes forget to do in our busy lives. My maternal grandmother, Mary, has been cooking a Sicilian dish, called “Cardone,” for as long as I can remember. Cardone is the stalk of an artichoke, which is skinned, sliced thin, and boiled. Then it is breaded and fried. They taste delicious! My family usually eats these on special occasion such as Christmas and Easter. Another tradition that is associated with food is Christmas Eve. Normally celebrated with the maternal side of my family, we prepare the traditional “Seven Fishes” for Christmas Eve. The Seven Fishes is a literal term; we make seven different kinds of fish, varying from fish salad to baked clams to lobster tails. It is part of our Sicilian culture. A tradition my paternal grandmother has taught me from a young age is making rice balls from scratch. She also plays Italian opera music in her house whenever we visit her. I remember being a young girl and going to my grandmother’s house after school, with her teaching me how to cook and singing in Italian. Now that I am living on my own, I use these recipes I remember from my childhood, and if I forget a step or two, my grandmother is only a call away.
My maternal grandparents in Brooklyn in the 1940s
A cultural tradition my parents have made with my immediate family is using Sicilian slang all the time. When I take liquid medicine, my mom will say, “Scuola” which translates to “Drink up.” Another example of this would be during dinner, my father will say “Buon Pranza” which means “a good meal.” His grandmother used to say that phrase, and he passed it on to our family.
My maternal grandfather, Joseph Campagna, was born in the United States, but traveled back to Sicily at the age of five. While he was there, he spoke fluent Sicilian (slightly different than Italian) before returning back to the states at the age of eighteen. This was something I learned recently when asking my family about our history. Since I knew my grandfather moved here from Italy, I assumed he had been born there. Now that I know he was born here, I understand more why he was so proud to be an American. My mother says he lived a hard life as a boy, working on a farm. He refused to speak Italian in the presence of his children, and would not talk about his life in Italy. It was only after his death that my family traveled to Italy. My paternal great-grandfather, Melchiore Aveni, worked on a boat that traveled all around the world. When the boat reached the United States, he got off with the clothes on his back and the money in his pocket and made a life for himself. This story is one that is very dear to my heart. I often think about the image of my young, handsome great-grandfather starting a new adventure in a new city. Though I know the reality was not that simple, I like to romanticize his story in my head. I never met him, but my father tells me that my tendency to imagine tall tales is a quality I shared with him, which makes me feel more connected to my past.
My maternal grandfather serving in the Korean War
My remaining ancestors came to America through the traditional route at the time. They took a boat to Ellis Island, where, like thousands of others, they were processed and accepted into the country. However, the families did not travel all at once. The father would typically go first, find work and in years’ time, send enough money back to Italy to send the rest of the family over. Such was the case with two of my my maternal great-grandparents, Ferdinand Assenza and Rose Montalbano. They were married before they came to America, with my great-grandfather having to leave his wife for 5 years before he could afford to pay for her to come here. However, two of my paternal great-grandparets, Melchiore Aveni and Caterine Bongiovanni, met in America. They both came to this country as young adults, Melchiore alone and Caterine with her family.
All of my relatives who have traveled to this country eventually became legal citizens of the United States. Though my heritage is important to my family, we are also very proud to be American, and grateful to be living the life we do in this wonderful country. My maternal grandfather would rebuke if anyone called him “Italian.” He was born in America, he served in war, he voted, and he loved this country. My maternal great grandmother lived on Mulberry Street in Manhattan, which is now famous for being the center of the “Little Italy” neighborhood in Manhattan. She eventually made her way to Brooklyn, New York. Her daughter, my grandmother, has lived in the same house in Brooklyn for 80+ years. My paternal great-grandfather (the same one that jumped off the boat) lived in Detroit to work on the railroads. He eventually moved to New York City and met his sweetheart, my nonna, Caterine Bongiovanni.
My religion is a huge part of my culture and my immigration story. The religion from both sides of my family is Roman Catholic. As Roman Catholics, our religion requires a member of the church to be baptized, receive communion, and to be confirmed. If one wants to be eligible to be married in a Roman Catholic Church, both parties must be baptized a Catholic Church. My maternal grandmother, Mary, is extremely religious. She has been a Eucharistic Administer for over twenty years. A Eucharistic Administer is a person who distributes the Body of Christ, the most holy thing a Catholic can receive. She is also a member of her parish’s prayer group. My paternal grandmother is also very religious, and has many Catholic figurines and statuettes throughout her home. She always has a Bible story to tell us to help relate to our struggles, and how God can help us through. Though we freely practice now, my great-grandparents were persecuted for being Catholics in New York City in the early 20th century. My family remembers the presidency of John F. Kennedy as a wonderful time for Catholics, because people of other religions started to realize that they did not only listen to the Pope as an authority figure, and could be tolerant of all religions.
As a whole, my entire family on both sides relies on our religion to pull us through many struggles. Speaking for myself, I follow the Catholic religion very closely and participate as much as I can. During the Lenten season, which is currently taking place, I refrain from meat on Fridays and I received ashes on Ash Wednesday. Also, all nine of my first cousins on my mother’s side went to Catholic school at some point in their life.
The name Joseph is an extremely prevalent name in both sides of my family. My paternal great-grandfather and grandfather were both named Joseph, and my maternal grandfather’s name is Joseph. Also, my father’s middle name is Joseph. I have three cousins on my mother’s side named Joseph after my grandfather. I also have an uncle on my father’s side named after his father, Joseph. This is related to the religiousness of my family, as Joseph is a biblical name.
All eight of my great grandparents had to establish themselves when they came to America. Immigrants from Sicily, it was extremely hard for them to make a life for themselves. My great grandmothers were housewives and seamstresses, and my great grandfathers worked in factories and on the railroads. I am proud of my family’s struggles because I feel like they were a part of history, and they paved the way for me to live the life I live today.
All of my grandparents struggled as well. None of them were college graduates. My maternal grandmother went to secretary school and worked as a secretary in Rockefeller Center for a few years. Then she met my grandfather at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. My maternal grandfather enrolled in the army before marrying my grandmother. Upon his return, he didn’t have much income to support a family with, so he decided to open a restaurant with his brother in Connecticut. My grandfather had to support four children and my grandmother had no income because she had to raise their children. My mother has told me the stories of her childhood and how her father worked very hard to give his family a good life. Her father would often be away for days or even weeks on end trying to establish his business. It put a huge stress on the family, especially my grandmother who was alone with four young children. Eventually, my grandfather and his two sons started a cheese distribution company, which still runs today out of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, called Joseph Campagna & Sons. All my grandparents and great grandparents went through their struggles and successes for their children’s happiness. Both of my parents were the first in their families’ to go to college, something I am extremely proud of. They have stressed the importance of an education to me throughout my entire life, and have encouraged me to follow my dreams.
I relate many of my characteristics to my cultural identity. My family instilled in me at a young age that it was imperative to build a strong work ethic. I feel as though this is because my lineage has consisted of hard workers for many generations. My mother and father also have taught me that nothing will be handed to you in your life and that you are to earn every success you have the pleasure to experience.
I feel as though my love and devotion to my family is related to my culture. Sicilians are known to be loud, boisterous, and have a heavy accent when we talk; but at the end of the day, we always come together as family. I love my family and would do anything to see anyone happy.
My family tree
