Introduction

In this exhibit I intend to document the lives and experiences of Italian immigrants and Italian Americans in the coastal city of Santa Cruz, California, beginning in the 1940s during the start of World War II.

I will highlight the prominence of Italian Americans in the fishing and farming industries in the area, and the resulting implications of the war on the community and on the identities of individuals of Italian descent. 

Further, I will exhibit Italian American identity in Santa Cruz following World War II, and into the present day. 

I chose to research these historic accounts, as I am an Italian American, born and raised into a family of Italian immigrants in Santa Cruz. During my freshman year of University, I took a course entitled “The Italian American Experience,” instructed by Professor Evelyn Ferraro, in which during my final project I completed an essay based on an interview conducted in earlier years with my grandfather and great uncle, both of whom immigrated to the United States from Italy in 1936 and 1938, respectively, before eventually settling in the Bay Area. 

This project, in which I was able to learn more about, and better understand these experiences, particularly through the perspective of my family members, inspired me to research Italian American identity and circumstances in the local community of Santa Cruz throughout my studies at Santa Clara University. I find it important to document these historical occurrences and these critical perspectives before they are lost or forgotten with the passing of time. My digital exhibit serves to preserve Italian and Italian American history in the United States. 

In my digital exhibit, you will find documents and personal accounts from local archives, as well as perspectives from interviews with Italian Americans living in, or having lived in Santa Cruz.