Italian American Introduction to Education

image of campus SCU.png

Layout of Santa Clara College's intial campus

Italian Americans have had a roller coaster ride ever since they immigrated to the United States in many different fields. We hope to provide a research question for thought phrased like "To what extent did Italian Americans prosper or suffer within the realm of education in the Bay Area/West Coast compared to the East Coast?" 

Within history, Italian Americans have faced many hardships in regards to how life operates, with forced like the Black Hand rearing their ugly heads among other things. From issues stemming from Ellis Island and citizenship tests to lack of labor rights in Massachusetts to the upheaval of life in San Francisco, Italian Americans have experienced the short end of the stick on several occasions. Education was no different in regards to the casual racism and issues in regards to administrative work and identity. From phrases like “dago” and “wop,” to general dismay when other people find out that they are Italian, education was not the safe haven nor platform for Italian Americans to prosper…at least initially. Life on the West Coast was more fruitful than the East Coast, with less casual racism being thrown around, to more transparent labor rights, to a new blossoming culture that wouldn’t be released in the box of the East Coast.

From developments in the Bank of Italy turned Bank of America, to the initiation of the wine industry, to the entrance of the Jesuits into society along the West Coast, Italian Americans were thriving more than they ever could have imagined on the East Coast. The big questions would arise in the field of education, where they have been discriminated left and right in the past, and it would remain unknown just how well they would assimilate into the educational field on the West Coast. We will examine these highs and lows with respect to the Bay Area and the West Coast in terms of educational assimilation, and revert back to our earlier understanding of East Coast dilemmas in order to provide broader perspectives and avenues across different fields.

Italian American Introduction to Education