The thousands of Italian immigrants who arrived in New Haven over 100 years ago helped to build the city that we know today. An exploration of their impact will be the focus of a symposium hosted by Southern Connecticut State University that examines New Haven’s Italian American community as part of Connecticut’s commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary.
“New Haven’s Italian American Story: A Symposium for America’s 250th” will take place Saturday, Oct. 24, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Adanti Student Center Ballroom. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, co-chair of the Italian American Congressional Delegation, will deliver the keynote address. The free event is open to the public and is presented by the La Colonia Digital Archive as part of CT250, under the themes “Doing History” and “Inclusive Storytelling.”
The symposium is funded by a Faculty Development Grant, with support from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of World Languages and Literatures. It will include a welcome from New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, a community roundtable, a remembrance of oral historian Anthony Riccio, and closing remarks by Interim President Sandra Bulmer.
“It’s putting focus on the people who built our communities,” said Erin Larkin, professor of Italian and director of the Interdisciplinary Studies Program. “And that’s really at the heart of what we do at Southern.”
The La Colonia Digital Archive is a community-based digital humanities project that maps archival documents onto present-day New Haven. Larkin is a researcher on the project, which traces the growth of the city’s Italian American community and its displacement through urban renewal during the 1950s and 1960s.
The archive began with Antonio Cannelli’s 1921 Italian-language guide for new immigrants, which documented the businesses, organizations and people that helped new immigrants establish themselves in New Haven.
Larkin’s research on the guide also connected her with Southern alumnus Frank Carrano, ’61, a board member of the Wooster Square Italian Immigrant Historical Society. Their shared interest in New Haven’s Italian American history eventually led to discussions about bringing Larkin’s research into the community through the symposium.
“America’s 250th really belongs to everyone who built it,” Larkin said. “The immigrants who arrive, maybe not knowing anyone, can leave their mark on the community that we live in today.”
The symposium will explore the Italian American experience through politics, music, art and religion. In addition to Congresswoman DeLauro, featured speakers include Italian Ambassador to the United States Marco Peronaci, who will appear by video; Guido Calabresi, senior judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; and Anthony Julian Tamburri, ‘71, dean of the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute at Queens College, CUNY, and the 2000 SCSU Distinguished Alumnus.
Larkin said the symposium will highlight how the Italian American community influenced New Haven beyond its cultural traditions.
“I want them to get a sense of how broad the mark was that this community left in shaping the greater New Haven area,” Larkin said.
She said the community’s impact can be seen across the greater New Haven area, including in business, politics, civic life, social justice, and the arts.
Carrano, whose parents immigrated to the United States from Italy, said the event also recognizes the experiences and contributions of immigrant communities.
“I think all immigrant communities should be celebrated for their contributions,” Carrano said.
“These are New Haven stories. These are Connecticut stories. These are American stories,” Larkin said.
Carrano said preserving those stories means highlighting the community’s contributions beyond the familiar symbols often associated with Italian American culture.
“We represent more than pizza,” Carrano said.
