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# 82 AUGUST 22 , 2016
# 82 AUGUST 22
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THE INTERVIEW:
SAL LAGUMINA
The Italian Americans of Long Island. Meet Prof. Salvatore LaGumina
By Umberto Mucci
Two of the five New York borroughs,
Queens and Brooklyn, are not only part
of New York, but also part of Long Island,
at least officially: even so, usually when
somebody refers to Long Island thinks
about Nassau and Suffolk Counties, not
the Queens or Kings (Brooklyn) County.
Long Island is home to many, many Italian Americans. One of them knows a lot
about them, and he is our guest today:
we are very happy and honored to have
with us Professor Salvatore LaGumina.
Professor LaGumina, what’s the story of
the emigration of our fellow Italians to mers live there, For the most part these
Long Island?
were of a proletarian background and
sought the opportunities to find employAt the beginning of the mass immigra- ment. Within three generations they betion from Italy, in the late 19th century, came the largest single ethnic group in
most of that immigration headed for big all of Long Island.
cities: however, even at that time, there
was a smaller group went directly to live It is a fact that most Italian immigrants
on Long Island where they created little settled in various centers in New York
enclaves in half a dozen or more towns City, where they formed identifiable
on Long Island, and where currently the Italian American neighborhoods, from
4th or 5th generations of these first-co- Mulberry street to Arthur Avenue in the
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Bronx, to sections of Brooklyn, Queens,
and Staten Island. Long Island real estate promoters focused on selling properties to Italians in these Little Italies. On
of the more fascinating promoters of
Long Island land was Generoso Pope,
the creator of the newspaper “Il Progresso italo-americano” who partnered with
a few others to establish a little community they called San Remo. He then provided 20 x 100 foot plots, to anyone who
subscribed to his newspaper for a year.
That’s how a number of Italians obtained
their properties in that area in the 1920s
and 1930s. Now, generations later, their
descendants still live there.
The migration pattern followed by most
Italians was what was called the family
immigrant pattern in which pioneer immigrant - usually someone in the community or family - would let them know
where there was employment and once
this was known, back in their little home
towns, their relatives or friends would
migrate to these areas. Just to give you
an example, in Westbury many people
from Durazzano, Nola and Saviano: started to come in the 1880s, and now four
or five generations later their children,
grandchildren and great grandchildren
continue to reside there.
American who achieved the highest position was Alfonse D’Amato, who became a United States senator. He is the only
Italian American from New York State
ever elected to that position, even to this
day. On the other hand, there are many,
many examples of prominence on local
levels, in little towns and communities.
Are there places or people of particular
meaningful importance in describing
the Italian American community in Long
Island?
Italian Americans play an extremely important part in all aspects of Long Island
life. Politically, the Long Island Italian
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