Moving West
Italian Americans needed to move away from New York and the East Coast, and realize that there was something more to be had in the land of the free. As Italian Americans made their move across the United States towards the turn of the 20th century, they were able to make hay in the San Francisco Bay Area and West Coast. Another subgroup, the Jesuits, were also making their way West in the mid to late 1800’s and early 1900’s after getting kicked out of Europe and only finding minimal opportunity along the East Coast. Jesuits helped find Santa Clara University, under the premise of Father John Nobili. Nobili helped lead the charge for a change in Jesuit education for Italian Americans among others, and generally had an acceptance for a group of people who needed to buy into the teachings of a newfound education. Moving into teachings about classical languages and the acceptance of one’s self, Italian Americans were able to accept their own identities and embrace who they truly were. Embracing their inner workings allowed the Jesuit education to develop along with the Italian culture, as seen in Santa Clara University’s yearbook, “The Redwood.” Where people once were afraid for others to know that they were Italian American, here along the West Coast and SCU there was a full fledged Italian Club, a signal for the changing of the times across the different areas.
