Gabriel Gjyla

Professor von Uhl

21002-C

5/10/18

                                                          Little Italy’s Future

New York City has often been called the “melting pot of America”, a term used to describe the various cultures and traditions that thrive here. Over the course of America’s history, each cultural group has made a substantial impact which has helped developed into what the current state of the country is in. Italians are one group which have immigrated and thrived in America. There is a special place in Arthur Avenue in The Bronx, which is known as Little Italy, where the original Italian immigrants first arrived. Ever since, their grandchildren have grown up and continue to live there. However, the community is stuck between accepting new cultures to move into the neighborhood or keep it as Italian as possible.

The Problem:  I will address how members of the Little Italy community feel based on the different cultures of people moving into the neighborhood.  I want to thoroughly examine how the new cultures moving into the neighborhood will have an impact on the Italian Americans who have lived there for most, if not all of their lives. In order to do this, I will need to examine resources that help explain why the people of the neighborhood don’t want others moving in. The neighborhood has had a long history of tradition and customs, which is why it has been labeled as the “melting pot of the Bronx”.

Background:  In the Arthur Ave section of the Bronx, there is a neighborhood known as Little Italy.  This area has been surrounded by Italians ever since the original Italian immigrants came to America, between the years 1880-1920, in search of a better life that was free from oppression, religious persecution, and poverty. As times have changed, Little Italy has continued to provide one of the best examples of the Italian culture within America. Based on data from the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the neighborhood was 27,378. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was white (19.7%), African American (18.5%), Asian (2.3%), and Latino/Hispanic (58.2%). Within this area are numerous Italian-based restaurants, cafes, mom-and-pop shops, some of which have been passed down from generation to generation. Over time, one of the most important and recognized area in Little Italy is the Arthur Avenue Retail Market, which is a mixture of numerous merchant stores ranging from meats, cheeses, dairy, markets, etc. It has been an integral part of the community. This retail market was created by then-mayor LaGuardia, who wanted a safe and productive way to share Italian food in the New York City area without having shops in the streets. Mayor LaGuardia has had a very significant impact on the community because apart from being Italian himself, he created the retail market in order to fight against illegal pushcarts and vendors. He is beloved by Italians everywhere, which is shown in the annual St.Anthony’s Feast-during which a portrait of LaGuardia is flown high for all to see.  To add, there have been many different people from different cultures, such as Mexico, Greece, Turkey, Albania, and the Dominican Republic that have moved into the Little Italy section that aren’t Italian. Furthermore, these people have brought their customs and cultures along with them, such as opening up new restaurants (Greek, Mexican, Turkish, and Yemen). Because of this, some members of the community have frowned upon the new people moving in because they don’t like seeing their culture being infiltrated. As a result, there has been tension within the Italian American community, arguing about how they should preserve their culture and what the future of Italians in Little Italy will look like.

                                                   Annotated Bibliography

Krase, Jerome (2006) Seeing Ethnic Succession in Little Italy: Change despite Resistance, Modern Italy, 11:1, 79-95, Academic Search Complete, DOI: 10.1080/13532949500492340 (Assessed April 8, 2018)

This source is important to my proposal because it offers an insight into what exactly makes the Italian culture in Little Italy so seductive and praised by people from all over. It will help to understand how the community has been preserved over time and continue to show the customs of Italy. Because of this, it would help to examine why some Italian Americans might feel that their culture might be disturbed if more and more people from different cultures move into the community. As a result, valuable information would be gathered from groups within the community to support the study, focusing on situations as to how communication is vital between the people in the community.

Bencivenni, Marcella (2015) “A Great Conspiracy against Our Race: Italian Immigrant Newspapers and the Construction of Whiteness in the Early 20th Century.” Journal of American History 102, no. 3 (December 2015): 904-905. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (Accessed April 8, 2018)

This source is important because it gives an explanation for the history of Italian Americans in America. There is a focus on the original Italian immigrants and how they integrate into American life. I will use this important source to gain a deeper understanding between the Italians in Little Italy- the ones who are welcome to change and the ones who don’t want change and want to keep the community as much Italian-based as possible.

Steiman, Adina, publisher, “Arthur Avenue is the Biggest (and Best) Little Italy in America.” October 11, 2016, https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/arthur-avenue-is-the-biggest-and-best-little-italy-in-america-article, Accessed April 4, 2018

This article is important because it explains the importance of Little Italy to the business of the Bronx, and New York City in that case. There have been tour groups that have recently opened up in Little Italy- with guides explaining the history of the area. This has created jobs for people in the area, helping to increase the tourism industry. In a way, this is preserving the history of Little Italy while offering other people a lesson into Little Italy’s history. I can use this as an example to show the different Italian Americans in the community that a plan to preserve the culture and expose it to other cultures is possible- and can bring revenue to the community.

“Ethnic Stereotyping.” New York Times 31 Jan. 2010: 9(L). Business Insights: Essentials.  http://bi.galegroup.com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/essentials/article/GALE%7CA217876029/0596971467eaa4aec2bde9796357d2a4?u=cuny_ccny Accessed May 5, 2018

This short article is important because it introduces another side to the argument: that Italians still have some negative stereotypes even after they have integrated themselves into American society. Although my work will be between the Italians in the community and the new cultures that are moving in, it’s important not to forget that not everyone will automatically think highly of Italians. For example, when Italians originally immigrated to America, there was a sense of fear and disapproval from the Americans. Even though Italians have planted themselves in America, there will always be the prejudice by some people that they are just mafia members or something similar to that nature. When undergoing this investigation, it’s important to keep in mind that the Italians who don’t want others moving into the community might be scared of not being liked by other people.

  “Portrayals of Italian-Americans in the Media.” New York Times 6 Feb. 2010: NA(L). Business Insights: Essentials. http://bi.galegroup.com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/essentials/article/GALE%7CA218356909/35806c844bebfd8648563d058cbb1818?u=cuny_ccny Accessed 5 May 2018

This academic source is another valuable part of the understanding of the Italian-American community. Similar to the one stated above, it highlights the portrayal of Italian-Americans in the media. The current case of president Trump and his constant disapproval towards Mexicans is a prime example of how the media can be used to degrade a particular group of people. This article discusses many of the problems that Italian-Americans face, specifically the stereotype that Italians are good at being gangsters and making pizza. There would be a proposal to make sure that the community would get involved with each other, learn from each other, and to eliminate negative stereotypes that prevent groups from peacefully living in the same neighborhood. For example, one prime negative portrayal is the Jersey Shore show, which portrays a group of Italian- Americans as party-loving, loud, and obnoxious members. This negative portrayal would upset the Italians in the area, which is why I will include this show in the interviews with the members of the community.

Objectives:  As I will hold interviews with the members of the community, whether them being the lifelong members or the new residents (from other cultures) that have moved in, I expect completely different feedback from the subjects. I will anticipate controversial language and feelings from the interviews. In all, I want to open up opportunities for the people to let their feelings be known. As a basis for the old people within the community, I expect them to be rooted in their Italian traditions, up to the point where they fear that the new residents moving in might disrupt and destroy their traditions. I will talk to the younger members of the community as well, especially to the teenagers. For the teens, I will focus on how they feel about their Italian heritage, how it is like to be Italian-American, how much patriotism they show, what kinds of people they interact with, and how they think they want their community to be shaped like in the future.  I will also want to conduct interviews with the new members on the block- to get an insight about how they feel about the viewpoints towards them. Also, I want to gain opinions on how they will try to integrate their own cultures into Little Italy, and to see how they would react if their cultures will be overshadowed by the main Italian festivities.

Methods: My main idea on the methods will be to conduct interviews/study group interactions. I will like to gather members of the community one-on-one, and share their opinions to the other members being interviewed. Furthermore, I will attempt to share my findings in community gatherings. Most notably, I will focus on the town gatherings/community board meetings to gain an edge into how the community is working to make sure that all the people of the community are treated fairly. To add, I know that this study will take quite a while to successfully assemble, which is why I want to focus on the children of the close-minded individuals ( like Salvatore from my original interview), and see how they think about the different cultures living together as well as hear their thoughts on the future. Over the course of my study, I will focus on the celebrations that will be honored in the community, especially asking the Italians how they would feel if more celebrations from other countries would be viewed in the streets of Little Italy.  To add, I will open up a blog for the community to unanimously share their feelings about the area, and what it means to live there and work there. I want an open experience without the fear of saying the wrong thing.

Conclusion:  The history of Little Italy in the Bronx is as big and thick as the cheeses that are made fresh everyday in its stores. The Italians have long maintained a stronghold in the community, preserving their culture and keeping their customs around through their restaurants and holiday celebrations. However, as more people have moved into the community, there have been tensions between the Italians who want Little Italy to remain Italian based and the Italians who are open to sharing their culture and community with different cultures.  In relationship to current issues, this piece of work is valuable because America seems to have an immigrant problem of its own yet again. With many people in America being split between being willing to accept new immigrants vs. those that believe the new immigrants will bring problems, it’s important to study this community to gain a feel of how the national opinion is about new changes and people. I anticipate discovering the nature of the people within the community, whether it being open or closed to change. Also, I want for the people to feel like they can share anything with each other, which is why I believe the online blog for the community will be very essential. If this historic community is to continue to thrive, it needs to have serious talks within its members, young and old, to make sure they are on the same page.