♪♪ >> SUPPORT FUNDING FOR THIS PROGRAM IS PROVIDED BY THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING.

♪♪ >> FOR MILWAUKEE'S ITALIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY, THESE SUMMERFEST GROUNDS AND THE AREA NEARBY ARE SACRED.

WALKING ON THIS LAND, AND INTO THE TREASURED FESTA ITALIANA, MEANS STEPPING INTO HISTORY.

IT'S HERE, IN THE HEART OF THE CITY'S THIRD WARD, WHERE THE MAJORITY OF MILWAUKEE'S ITALIAN IMMIGRANTS FIRST SETTLED.

AND IT'S HERE AT FESTA WHERE GENERATIONS OF ITALIANS HAVE CELEBRATED THEIR HERITAGE AND CULTURE IN FESTIVAL STYLE SINCE 1978 -- WITH FOOD, FUN, BOCCE, MUSIC, AND DANCE, REMINISCENT OF SIMPLER STREET FESTIVALS AND A FAITHFUL SENSE OF TOGETHERNESS.

FOR SOME, IT'S AN EMOTIONAL TIME TO PAY HOMAGE TO EVEN RICHER TRADITIONS FOUND IN PRAYER AND PROCESSION.

AND INSIDE THIS SIMPLE TENT, FILLED WITH ALMOST A THOUSAND PERSONAL PHOTOGRAPHS, SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL HAPPENS FOR MANY OTHERS.

>> IS THAT IT?

>> YES, THIS ONE HERE.

>> MY PARENTS, MY MOM AND DAD.

THIS IS HER SISTER JOSIE, HER SISTER FRANCES, HER BROTHER ROCCO.

>> SOMETIMES RETURNING HOME TO MILWAUKEE AND FESTA, AND REMEMBERING "WHAT WAS" CAN BE BITTERSWEET, AS IT WAS FOR MARY LOCICERO MAGLIO.

>> I WAS BORN IN MILWAUKEE'S THIRD WARD IN 1915.

MY FAMILY CAME FROM SICILY NEAR PALERMO.

MY FATHER CAME HERE IN 1902.

IN 1904, MY MOTHER AND MY BROTHER CAME TO MILWAUKEE.

IT'S NOT LIKE THE OLD DAYS.

IT'S OK, BUT WHEN WE HAD THE STREET FESTIVAL, WHEN YOU KNEW, OF COURSE, WE KNEW EVERYBODY.

AS I SAY, EVERYBODY KNEW EVERYBODY.

SO LIKE NOW I COME BACK HERE AND I DON'T KNOW A SOUL.

>> THE "OLD DAYS" FOR THE MAJORITY OF MILWAUKEE ITALIANS ARE WHERE THEIR PERSONAL AND POIGNANT STORIES BEGIN.

THEIR NAMES, FAMILIAR OR NOT, AND THEIR STORIES HAVE DEFINED GENERATIONS.

THEY HAVE HELPED CHARACTERIZE A CITY KNOWN FOR ITS ETHNIC DIVERSITY AND FLAVOR.

"STORIA ITALIANA, MILWAUKEE" TELLS OF COURAGE, HARDSHIPS, FAITH, AND FAMILY.

MILWAUKEE'S ITALIANS CHERISH THEIR 150-YEAR-OLD HISTORY, A PROUD STORY THEY HOPE AND PRAY WILL NEVER END.

>> WE, THE CHILDREN OF THE IMMIGRANTS.

WE FEEL TIED TO THAT, WE DON'T WANT TO LOSE IT BECAUSE WE WERE A PART OF IT, AND YET, WE HAVE TO RESIGN OURSELVES TO THE FACT THAT IT'S GOING, IT'S ALMOST GONE.

♪♪ >> MILWAUKEE'S ITALIAN STORY BEGAN IN THE LATE 1880S WHEN A STEADY FLOW OF ITALIANS FIRST ARRIVED IN THE CITY.

MANY WERE MALE ARTISANS FROM NORTHERN ITALY WHO BEAUTIFIED THE CITY'S GRANDEST BUILDINGS, INCLUDING THE MILWAUKEE PUBLIC LIBRARY, WITH ITALIAN MARBLE AND TILE.

THE HEAVIEST IMMIGRATION TOOK PLACE BETWEEN 1890 AND 1914.

CLOSE TO 5000 ITALIAN IMMIGRANTS HAD SETTLED IN WHAT BECAME MILWAUKEE'S LARGEST ITALIAN COMMUNITY, THE THIRD WARD, AN AREA THEN BORDERED BY WISCONSIN AVENUE ON THE NORTH, LAKE MICHIGAN ON THE EAST, AND THE MILWAUKEE RIVER ON THE WEST AND SOUTH.

THE GERMANS AND IRISH WERE AMONG THE FIRST TO LIVE IN THE WARD, BUT EVENTUALLY MOVED NORTH AND WEST FOLLOWING THE DEVASTATING THIRD WARD FIRE OF 1892.

FEROCIOUS WINDS FANNED THE FIRE THAT BEGAN AT THE UNION OIL COMPANY ON EAST WATER STREET.

FOUR PEOPLE DIED AND MORE THAN 2,000 PEOPLE BECAME HOMELESS AFTER THE RAGING FIRE WIPED OUT 15 CITY BLOCKS.

IT WAS A TURNING POINT FOR THE WARD.

AS MORE AND MORE IMMIGRANTS CONTINUED TO ARRIVE, THE ITALIANS REBUILT A COMMUNITY OF THEIR OWN IN THE DENSE, POOR RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT THAT OFFERED THEM CHEAP HOUSING.

THE AREA BECAME KNOWN AS MILWAUKEE'S LITTLE ITALY.

>> IN ITALY, THEY WERE CONSIDERED THE LOWEST ON THE SOCIAL SCALE, THE PEASANTS.

THEY DIDN'T GO TO SCHOOL, THEY DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO READ AND WRITE, BUT THAT DIDN'T MEAN THEY DIDN'T HAVE IT UP HERE, BECAUSE THEY CERTAINLY DID.

>> MEN USUALLY ARRIVED FIRST TO FIND WORK AND SEND MONEY BACK HOME TO LOVED ONES.

THE IMMIGRANTS WHO SETTLED IN THE THIRD WARD CAME MOSTLY FROM THE ISLAND OF SICILY, INCLUDING THE PROVINCES OF PALERMO AND MESSINA, AND FROM SOUTHERN ITALY, REGIONS INCLUDING ABRUZZI, CAMPAGNIA AND CALABRIA.

ONCE HERE, THEY LIVED PRIMARILY IN AN AREA EAST OF MILWAUKEE STREET TO THE RAILROAD TRACKS.

MILWAUKEE OFFERED THESE UNSKILLED AND PENNILESS IMMIGRANTS BETTER JOBS MAINLY AS CITY SANITATION AND UTILITY WORKERS, FACTORY HANDS AND RAILROAD LABORERS.

THEY WORKED SIX DAYS A WEEK FOR $1 TO $1.50 PER DAY, SOME OF THE LOWEST WAGES IN THE CITY.

OTHERS BECAME ENTREPRENEURS IN THE PRODUCE BUSINESS, INCLUDING MILWAUKEE'S FIRST SICILIAN, AUGUSTINO CATALANO.

A SMALL PARK CALLED CATALANO SQUARE AT BROADWAY AND MENOMONEE IN TODAY'S THIRD WARD IS A DAILY REMINDER OF THOSE BEGINNINGS.

THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MERCHANTS GRADUATED FROM PUSHCARTS TO TRUCKS TO THEIR OWN WHOLESALE HOUSES ON A STRETCH OF BROADWAY LONG KNOWN AS COMMISSION ROW, AN AREA THAT WAS THE HEART AND SOUL OF THE LOCAL ITALIAN PRODUCE COMMUNITY UNTIL THE 1990'S.

>> THERE WAS WORK.

THAT'S WHY THEY SETTLED THERE.

YOU'VE GOT TO REMEMBER TOO, WHILE THIS ONE CALLED THAT ONE OVER, WE CALL THAT CHAIN MIGRATION.

ONE COMES OVER, GETS A LAYOUT OF EVERTHING, THEN THEY START CALLING THE OTHERS TO COME OVER, THAT'S HOW IT WAS.

>> ANOTHER GROUP OF SICILIAN IMMIGRANTS SURFACED IN MILWAUKEE'S THIRD WARD IN THE EARLY 1900S.

ACCORDING TO GAVIN SCHMIDT'S BOOK, "MILWAUKEE MAFIA," THE CITY'S ITALIAN CRIME FAMILY CAME ENTIRELY FROM AN AREA IN AND AROUND BAGHERI, INCLUDING SANTA FLAVIA AND PORTICELLO.

SCHMIDT WRITES THAT WHEN INFAMOUS MOB BOSS FRANK BALISTRIERI DIED IN 1993, THE CITY'S CRIME FAMILY DIED WITH HIM.

A SMALL GROUP OF SOUTHERN ITALIANS ALSO SETTLED IN WEST ALLIS, WHILE A BIT LARGER NUMBER OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ITALIANS FOUND THEIR MILWAUKEE HOME IN THE BAY VIEW NEIGHBORHOOD SOUTH OF DOWNTOWN.

THERE, MOST WORKED IN A SPRAWLING IRON MILL ON THE SOUTH LAKESHORE.

>> THEY CAME FOR THE SAME REASON THE SICILIANS CAME OR THE ABRUZZIS CAME -- THEY WERE DYING OF HUNGER AND THEY NEEDED A NEW PLACE TO MAKE A NEW LIFE.

>> PROBABLY THE MOST FAMOUS BAY VIEW ITALIAN WAS CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER FATHER JAMES GROPPI.

HE WAS THE ELEVENTH OF TWELVE CHIDREN OF ITALIAN IMMIGRANTS GIOCONDO AND GIORGINA GROPPI, WHO CAME TO MILWAUKEE IN 1913.

THEY FOUNDED A GENERAL STORE ON EAST RUSSELL AVENUE.

THEIR SONS CONTINUED TO RUN IT UNTIL 2003 WHEN IT WAS TIME TO HAND IT OVER TO A NEW OWNER WITH BAY VIEW ROOTS.

SOME OF THE ITALIAN MARKET'S 1913 CHARM REMAINS TODAY AS DOES THE GROPPI NAME.

BETWEEN 1915 AND THE EARLY 1920'S, YOUNGER FAMILIES LEFT THE THIRD WARD FOR BETTER HOUSING IN THE BRADY STREET AREA ON THE CITY'S LOWER EAST SIDE.

STILL, OTHERS, MOSTLY SICILIANS, REMAINED IN THE THIRD WARD AS MORE IMMIGRANTS ARRIVED IN THEIR NEW HOME IN MILWAUKEE IN THE DECADES THAT FOLLOWED.

NO MATTER WHERE THEY LIVED, EARLY IMMIGRANTS SHARED AN EXTRAORDINARY WILL AND AN ABUNDANT AMOUNT OF COURAGE.

THEIR JOURNEYS TO MILWAUKEE DEFINED THEIR UNQUESTIONABLE CHARACTER.

>> HOW THEY CAME OVER IN THE BOATS, CONVERTED CARGO SHIPS, AND THEY HAD TO -- THESE PEOPLE WERE RELIGATED TO, THEY CALL IT, THE STEERAGE AREA, WHICH WAS BELOW THE WATER LINE.

IMAGINE WHAT THERE WAS DOWN THERE.

IT WAS HARD FOR THEM BECAUSE LIKE SAY IF THERE WERE ABRUZZI ON THE SHIP, IN THOSE DAYS, THEY COULDN'T COMMUNICATE WITH ONE ANOTHER BECAUSE THEY ONLY KNEW THEIR DIALECT, THE AREA THEY WERE FROM.

THE ABRUZZIS HAD THEIRS, THE SICILIANS HAD THEIRS, THE NEOPOLITANS HAD THEIRS.

ALL OF THEM HAD A DIFFERENT DIALECT.

MY GRANDPARENTS CAME HERE IN THE EARLY 1900S.

BECAUSE I'LL TELL YOU ONE THING, IF THEY'RE NOT IN HEAVEN, NOBODY IS, WHAT THEY WENT THROUGH.

♪♪ >> THIS PHOTOGRAPH DEPICTS THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE.

THERE SHE IS, SHE'S CRYING, AND SHE'S ONLY 25 YEARS OLD IN THAT PHOTO.

>> GINA CAMILLO MANNING, A FIRST GENERATION ITALIAN, IS TALKING ABOUT HER MOTHER, ROSA LALLI CAMILLO, WHO LEFT ITALY TO BE REUNITED WITH HER HUSBAND AND OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS ALREADY LIVING IN MILWAUKEE.

THIS PHOTO HANGS IN THE LOBBY OF MILWAUKEE'S ITALIAN COMMUNITY CENTER WHERE GINA WORKS.

>> EVERY DAY I SEE THAT PHOTOGRAPH, I NOD MY HEAD.

AND SAY, GOOD MORNING MOTHER.

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

>> ROSA'S TORN AND WORN PASSENGER TICKET TO THIS COUNTRY IS NOW A WELL-PROTECTED HEIRLOOM THAT BETTER PRESERVES HER FAMILY'S STORY.

>> MY MOTHER ARRIVED HERE FROM THE ABRUZZI REGION IN 1935 ABOARD THE COUNT DE SAVOIA SHIP.

SHE WAS ALL ALONE, DID NOT SPEAK THE LANGUAGE.

WITH THREE WOMEN SHE DID NOT KNOW, SHARED A CABIN FOR EIGHT DAYS TO MAKE THEIR JOURNEY TO NEW YORK.

SHE'S ON THE BUS, SHE ARRIVES IN MILWAUKEE TO MEET HER FAMILY.

HER SISTER IS ALREADY AT THE HOUSE WHERE SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO ARRIVE TO.

SHE WAS PLACED IN THE CAB BY A LOVELY WOMAN WHO SAID, I WILL HELP YOU, AND SHE PUT HER IN THE CAB, AND VERY ANXIOUS MY MOTHER WAS, BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.

SHE WAS TO ARRIVE AT 812 AND 814 EAST BRADY STREET.

AND THE CAB DRIVER HAD HER NAME AND ADDRESS AND HE TOLD HER, DO NOT WORRY, I'LL TAKE CARE OF YOU, AND MY MOTHER, PRIOR TO ARRIVING HERE IN MILWAUKEE, HAD SENT -- THIS IS JUST A REPLICA OF THE CURTAIN THAT WAS TO BE PUT IN THE WINDOW SO SHE COULD RECOGNIZE THE HOME SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE AT.

>> I SAY I'M GOING TO SEE MY HUSBAND, THEN I'M GOING TO SEE MY SISTER, AND FOR SURE, THAT WAS JUST MY MIND WAS WORKING.

SO I HAD THE ADDRESS WHERE I HAD TO GO, AND FINALLY WE GOT TO BRADY STREET.

WHEN I SAW MY CURTAIN, BECAUSE I MADE THE CURTAIN I SENT TO MY SISTER, I SAID, OH, THANK YOU, GOD, I'M ON THE RIGHT PLACE.

MY POOR SISTER WASN'T BY THE WINDOW.

>> ROSA CAMILLO DIED AT THE AGE OF 91 IN FEBRUARY, 2002.

TWO MONTHS BEFORE HER DEATH, SHE SOMEWHAT BEGRUDGINGLY REMINISCED ABOUT HER IMMIGRATION JOURNEY WITH GRANDDAUGHTER CARRIE CAMILLO, A MILWAUKEE NATIVE, NOW A MULTIPLATFORM EDITOR WITH "THE WASHINGTON POST."

>> I COULDN'T STOP CRYING BECAUSE FOUR YEARS WITHOUT A HUSBAND.

>> FOUR YEARS.

>> YEAH.

>> YOU HADN'T SEEN GRANDPA FOR FOUR YEARS.

>> FOUR YEARS.

>> YOU MADE THESE?

>> YEAH, AND YOU KNOW WHEN?

AT NIGHT BY THE CANDLE BECAUSE DURING THE DAY I HAD TO GO TO WORK.

WHEN I SAW THIS HANGING IN THE WINDOW LIKE THAT BY THE WINDOW >> YOU RECOGNIZED IT.

>> I SAID THIS IS IT.

ALL BY HAND.

>> NO MACHINE?

>> NO WAY.

>> I KNEW THEY HAD A VERY DIFFICULT TIME, DEPRESSION.

IT WAS VERY, VERY TOUGH TIMES.

VERY TOUGH TIMES.

AND HER FAMILY HELPED HER.

>> COMING TO THIS COUNTRY, YOU DON'T KNOW THE LANGUAGE, YOU DON'T KNOW NOTHING, NO MONEY.

YOU WASN'T WORKING.

I WAS WITH MY SISTER.

GOD BLESS HER.

>> SO MY GRANDMOTHER, ANNE MEGNA SHE WAS CALLED, MANY PEOPLE PRONOUNCE IT MEGNA, SHE PRONOUNCED IT MEYNA, SHE CAME OVER WHEN SHE WAS 12.

HER FATHER HAD ALREADY BEEN HERE.

HE CAME OVER WHEN HE WAS IN HIS 20S.

SHE CAME WITH THREE OF HER BROTHERS ON THE BOAT IN STEERAGE.

THEY CAME STRAIGHT TO MILWAUKEE WHERE HER FATHER HAD ALREADY SET UP A HOUSEHOLD AND HAD A JOB.

THE REASON MY GRANDMOTHER CAME TO MILWAUKEE BECAUSE OTHER MEMBERS OF HER COMMUNITY, IN PORTICELLO, CAME TO MILWAUKEE.

THEY WOULDN'T HAVE GONE TO A PLACE WHERE THEY DIDN'T HAVE RELATIVES OR FRIENDS.

THAT WAS THE WHOLE IDEA.

OF COURSE, THEY WERE DISTRUSTFUL COMING TO A NEW PLACE, BUT THEY FELT THAT THROUGH THE CORRESPONDENCE THEY LEARNED ABOUT THIS PLACE, THEY FELT SAFE, THEY KNEW SOMEONE WAS GOING TO BE THERE TO TAKE CARE OF THEM, TO HELP THEM FIND WORK, AND IF THERE WAS TRAGEDY OR PROBLEMS THERE WOULD BE SOMEONE IN THE FAMILY OR FRIEND TO TAKE THEM IN, HELP THEM OUT BECAUSE THERE WAS A PEDRONI THERE, SOMEONE THEY KNEW WHO OFTENTIMES INTRODUCE THEM TO THE LOCAL STORE OR HELP THEM GET A JOB, HOW TO VOTE, HOW TO FIND APARTMENTS.

AND THEY WENT TO THE SAME CHURCH AND THE SAME SOCIAL ORGANZIATIONS.

THEY LIVED TOGETHER IN THE SAME TIGHT KNIT COMMUNITY.

>> THE FIRST GENERATION BENEFITS IMMENSELY FROM THE ETHNIC ENCLAVE, PEOPLE FROM YOUR SAME VILLAGE OR CITY CAN HELP YOU NAVIGATE NEW SURROUNDINGS.

BEING ABLE TO SHOP, BEING ABLE TO ORDER SERVICES IN YOUR OWN LANGUAGE WHILE STILL LEARNING ENGLISH WAS VERY IMPORTANT.

>> ITALIAN CULTURE IS REALLY REGIONAL.

IT'S LOCAL, IT'S NOT NATIONAL.

THOSE PEOPLE DIDN'T THINK OF THEMSELVES AS ITALIAN.

THEY ASSOCIATE IT WITH WHETHER THEY WERE NEOPOLITAN, SICILIAN, ROMAN, AND SO FORTH.

THEY SPOKE THEIR DIALECTS.

SO IF YOU WERE TRYING TO COMMUNICATE WITH SOMEONE FROM A DIFFERENT REGION, IT WAS NOT EASY BECAUSE DIALECTS COULD BE VERY DIFFERENT.

>> IF YOU WERE FROM ABRUZZI AND I'M SICILIAN AND WE'RE SITTING TOGETHER AT THE SAME TABLE, I FIGURE, GEE WIZ, SHE'S NOT AS BAD AS THEY SAY THEY ARE.

THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED.

AND WHAT HAPPENS IS THIS TOO.

THEY SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT?

OH, I'VE GOT SOME BAD NEWS.

YOU DO.

YEAH.

YOU KNOW SO AND SO'S DAUGHTER.

SHE'S AN ABRUZZI, SHE'S GOING TO MARRY A SICILIAN.

OH, GOD FORBID.

THIS TYPE OF THING THEY DID.

>> THE WAY THEY OVERCAME THAT IS BY STAYING CLOSE TO THOSE WHO SPOKE THEIR SAME DIALECT AND HAD THEIR SAME CUSTOMS, GAVE THEM THAT SENSE OF SECURITY.

♪♪ >> IT WAS A TIGHTLY KNIT, SELF-SERVING COMMUNITY.

WITHIN THE AREA OF A FEW BLOCKS, A FAMILY COULD OBTAIN PRACTICALLY -- >> THIS BOOK OF STORIES IS A SENSE OF SECURITY FOR THE DELEO FAMILY, SOMETHING THEY HOLD DEAR.

A MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER ONCE WROTE ABOUT THAT CLOSENESS GROWING UP IN THE THIRD WARD.

SOME OF THAT CLOSENESS WAS PHYSICAL.

MOST HOUSES WERE IN SHABBY CONDITION.

FAMILIES WALKED TO THE JACKSON STREET NATATORIUM TO CARE FOR THEIR PERSONAL HYGIENE.

LIVING CONDITIONS WERE OFTEN DESCRIBED AS DEPLORABLE.

DESPITE THAT, THE REAL CLOSENESS CAME FROM JUST BEING TOGETHER.

>> DURING SUMMER EVENINGS IN THE THIRD WARD, PORCHES, STOOPS AND STAIRS WERE FILLED WITH PEOPLE.

THE SOUND OF SICILIAN VOICES WAS EVERYWHERE.

>> MY NAME IS ANTHONY MACHI AND I'M 93 YEARS OLD.

>> MY NAME IS LEONARD MACHI, I'M 83 YEARS OLD, AND THE YOUNGEST OF SIX SIBLINGS.

>> WE LIVED AT 522 NORTH JACKSON.

IT WAS A DUPLEX.

WE HAD TENANTS UPSTAIRS.

WE WERE SIX SIBLINGS, TWO BEDROOMS.

NOW MY PARENTS HAD ONE BEDROOM, SO THAT BROUGHT IT DOWN TO ONE BEDROOM.

THE GIRLS SLEPT IN THAT.

MY BROTHERS TONY AND PETER SLEPT UP IN THE ATTIC, THE ROOM UP THERE WAS FINISHED, AND I SLEPT IN THE KITCHEN ON A ROLLAWAY BED.

IN THE MORNING, I'D ROLL IT UP AND PUT IT AWAY FOR THE NEXT NIGHT.

THERE WAS A LOT OF TOGETHERNESS.

IT WAS A HAPPY HOUSE.

>> THERE WAS NEVER A LOCK IN THE HOMES.

WE COULD GO IN AND OUT OF FRIENDS HOMES WITHOUT KNOCKING.

WE WERE SO WELCOMED.

AND THE PARENTS TOOK CARE OF OTHER PEOPLE'S CHILDREN.

>> OUR DAD WAS IN THE PRODUCE BUSINESS, SO WE NEVER LACKED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IN THE HOME.

WE LIVED VERY COMFORTABLE COMPARED TO MANY OF OUR NEIGHBORS BECAUSE HE WAS A PRETTY GOOD -- HE EARNED A PRETTY GOOD LIVING, MY DAD.

WE WERE FORTUNATE AND OUR HOUSE WAS PRETTY NICE COMPARED TO SOME OF THE HOMES IN THE THIRD WARD.

>> IT WAS A TIGHT-KNIT, SELF-SERVING COMMUNITY.

WITHIN THE AREA OF A FEW BLOCKS, A FAMILY COULD OBTAIN PRACTICALLY ALL IT'S FOOD, CLOTHING AND NEEDED SERVICES.

GROCERY STORES ABOUNDED THROUGHOUT THE WARD.

>> EVENTUALLY MY FATHER OPENED A GELATORIA STORE IN MILWAUKEE ON DETROIT STREET.

KITTY-CORNER FROM THE ITALIAN CHURCH.

PEOPLE LIKED OUR STORE BECAUSE WE MADE THE BEST CANNOLI IN TOWN.

NOBODY ELSE MAKES CANNOLI LIKE MY FATHER DID, EXCEPT ME.

>> MY GRANDMOTHER ANNA MEGNA GREW UP THE OLDEST DAUGHTER IN A FAMILY OF TEN, THAT WAS THE EXPECTATION OF HER.

AS SOON AS FIVE OR SIX YEARS OLD, SHE CARED FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN, SHE WAS COOKING, DOING LAUNDRY, CLEANING THE HOUSE.

THAT WAS THE EXPECTATION OF HER.

WHILE IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR HER YOUNGER BROTHERS TO GO TO COLLEGE, SOME WENT TO MEDICAL SCHOOL, SOME WENT TO LAW SCHOOL.

IT WASN'T THE PLACE OF A YOUNG WOMAN IN THE 1920'S TO GO TO SCHOOL.

IN FACT, SHE HAD TO FIGHT TO GET TO HIGH SCHOOL.

SHE TALKED ABOUT THE PIECE WORK SHE DID, SEWING, AND HOW HER FRIENDS WERE SPENDING THE DAYS AS 10-YEAR-OLDS PLAYING TOP SCOTCH OR PLAYING GAMES.

THEY WERE EXPECTED TO DO WORK.

>> ALL THROUGHOUT MY CHILDHOOD, PLAYING WAS FROWNED UPON, ESPECIALLY BY MY FATHER.

PERHAPS BECAUSE HE HAD TO DO A GROWN MAN'S WORK AT THE AGE OF 12 TO HELP HIS WIDOWED MOTHER.

HE EXPECTED HIS CHILDREN TO HELP AT HOME IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE.

MY FATHER, A LADIES' TAILOR, TOLD ME, LITTLE GIRLS ARE SUPPOSED TO HELP THEIR MOTHERS.

REMEMBER THAT.

MOST OF THE GIRLS SPENT THEIR SUMMERS ATTENDING THE SCHOOLS SET UP BY A NUMBER OF EXPERT NEEDLE WOMEN IN THEIR HOMES.

HERE THEY TAUGHT US CUTTING, SEWING, AND EMBROIDERING.

>> LIKE MOST OF MY CLASSMATES LIVING IN LITTLE ITALY, I ATE MANY DISHES AND FOODS AT HOME HEAVILY FLAVORED WITH GARLIC.

>> MY GRANDMOTHER DID TALK ABOUT PREJUDICE AGAINST ITALIANS.

SHE HAD A COUPLE STORIES.

ONE WAS WHEN THEY FIRST CAME TO MILWAUKEE, THEY DIDN'T MOVE TO THE THIRD WARD.

BECAUSE HER FATHER WANTED TO SEND HIS KIDS TO A SCHOOL WHERE THERE WEREN'T JUST ITALIANS.

AFTER A YEAR OR SO, HE FELT HE HAD TO MOVE, BECAUSE HIS SONS WERE GETTING BEAT UP ON THE WAY HOME FROM SCHOOL, SO THEY MOVED TO THE THIRD WARD.

>> LIKE MOST OF MY CLASSMATES LIVING IN LITTLE ITALY, I ATE MANY DISHES AND FOODS AT HOME HEAVILY FLAVORED WITH GARLIC.

THAT WAS THE ERA WHEN GARLIC WAS A LOWLY, UNWELCOME FLAVORING IN POLITE SOCIETY, SYNONYMOUS WITH FOREIGNERS, PARTICULARLY IMMIGRANTS, AND DEFINITELY UN-AMERICAN.

IT WAS THE LOOK I SAW ON MISS HICKEY'S FACE WHENEVER MOST OF US FIFTH GRADERS CAME IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH HER.

THE LOOK THAT MADE MY 9-YEAR-OLD SELF WINCE WHEN I HEARD THE WHISPERED CHARGE OFTEN LEVELED AT US -- LITTLE GARLIC EATERS.

I CONTINUED TO SUFFER IN UNHAPPY SILENCE DURING MY YEARS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BECAUSE PAPA'S COMMAND WAS ADAMANT -- EAT WHAT YOUR MAMMA COOKS.

>> YOU HEAR A LOT OF PREJUDICE AND RACISM, THIS IS A SMALL FORM OF IT.

EVEN TO THIS DAY, MY MOTHER USES GARLIC SPARINGLY BECAUSE -- BECAUSE OF THAT STORY.

MY GENERATION, I USE A LOT OF GARLIC.

I THINK I'M TRYING TO MAKE UP FOR THAT LOSS OF GARLIC OVER A COUPLE GENERATIONS.

>> ILLITERATE AS MANY WERE, THEY FOUND ENGLISH A DIFFICULT LANGUAGE TO LEARN.

THIS ISOLATED THEM FROM THE REST OF THE CITY.

ALTHOUGH VERY CLOSE TO THE CENTER OF ACTIVITY IN THE MILWAUKEE, THEY WERE IN A SEPARATE WORLD.

THEY WERE THE ITALIANS.

ALL THE OTHERS WERE "THE" AMERICANS.

>> PEOPLE WHO CAME OVER SPOKE A BROKEN ENGLISH, LOOKED DOWN UPON, BUT THROUGH THE YEARS WE PROVED THEM WRONG.

I FINALLY REALIZED THAT I SPOKE ITALIAN BEFORE I SPOKE ENGLISH.

MY MOTHER WAS HERE 72 YEARS, SHE NEVER WENT BACK TO THE OLD COUNTRY, SHE SPOKE BROKEN ENGLISH, SO IF WE HAD TO COMMUNITCATE WITH OUR MOM, WE HAD TO SPEAK TO HER IN ITALIAN, OTHERWISE WE WOULD HAVE A LACK OF COMMUNICATION.

BUT SHE UNDERSTOOD WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT IF WE SPOKE ENGLISH.

SHE PLAYED KIND OF DUMB, BUT SHE KNEW WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT.

>> MOST OF US WENT TO LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL BACK IN THE EARLY 1920S -- NO, EARLY 1930S, EXCUSE ME, THERE WAS A FOOTBALL TEAM, WON CITY CHAMPIONSHIP, CALLED SIGNALS IN ITALIAN SO OPPOSITION DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON WHEN THE BALL WAS BEING SNAPPED, SO THAT'S ONE WAY OF BEATING THE OPPOSITION.

>> LEONARD, THAT WAS THE 1926 TEAM WHEN THEY HAD THE SIGNALS IN ITALIAN.

>> I WAS BORN ON BRADY STREET.

GROWING UP IN THE MILWAUKEE, I KNOW WE HAD MANY OTHER FRIENDS FROM THE ABRUZZO REGION.

WHEN MY MOTHER AND FATHER SENT ME TO MARYLAND AVENUE KINDERGARTEN, I COULDN'T SPEAK ENGLISH AND THEY HELD ME BACK A YEAR.

MY FATHER, THROUGH AN INTERPRETOR SAYING, WHY ARE YOU HOLDING HER BACK?

SHE DOESN'T SPEAK ENGLISH.

WELL, THAT'S WHY I'M SENDING HER TO SCHOOL, SO YOU CAN TEACH HER HOW TO SPEAK ENGLISH.

>> MILWAUKEE BECAME A MODEL FOR THE REST OF THE COUNTRY WITH THE PROGRESSIVE AREA IT WAS CALLED WHERE WE HAD THE SOCIALISTS CAME IN 1912 AND A LITTLE EARLIER.

SO WHAT DID THEY DO TO HELP THESE PEOPLE, THESE IMMIGRANTS?

THEY OPENED UP SOCIAL CENTERS, TAUGHT CLASSES IN ENGLISH IN CITIZENSHIP, SEWING, MANUAL TRAINING.

YOU NAME IT, THEY HAD IT.

IT WAS THROUGH THE INFLUENCE OF THE SOCIAL CENTER THAT ITALIANS BEGAN TO FEEL THEMSELVES AS PART OF THE WHOLE SCENE.

WE KNOW THAT THE PRESSURE WAS FOR THEM TO ASSIMILATE EARLIER IN THE 20th CENTURY.

THE CITY TRIED IN MANY WAYS THROUGH COMMUNITY CENTERS AND FESTIVALS.

YES, YOU'RE ITALIAN, BUT YOU'RE ALSO AMERICAN.

ITALIANS WERE VERY EASY TO SERVE IN BOTH WARS.

WORLD WAR II MORE THAN ANY OTHER ETHNIC GROUP IN THE CITY.

SO THE PRESSURE TO BECOME AMERICAN WAS THERE.

>> I DO SEE THE ICC AS A MODERN DAY SOCIAL CENTER.

YOU STILL HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO MEET THERE ON A DAILY BASIS AND HAVE LUNCH TOGETHER, THEY'LL PLAY CARDS, PLAY BOCCE, THEY DO ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF, SO IT IS A SOCIAL PLACE.

>> ITALIANS, SICILIANS, WE'RE ALL ONE COMMUNITY WITHIN THE ITALIAN COMMUNITY CENTER, AND I THINK THAT ETHNICITY, THAT'S WHY WE'RE SUCH PROUD PEOPLE.

WE'RE PROUD TO BE ITALIAN.

>> THE ITALIAN COMMUNITY CENTER CAME UP BECAUSE THERE WERE THOSE WHO WERE FROM THE THIRD WARD WHO REMEMBER THE OLD FESTIVALS AND THE COMMARADARIE.

THE PROFITS FROM FESTA ITALIANA WAS, IN PART, THE IMPETUS TO BUILD THE ITALIAN COMMUNITY CENTER AND ALSO TO BUY THE PROPERTY DOWN THERE.

THAT'S A LOT OF PROPERTY WE OWN, 16 ACRES.

IN FACT, YEARS AGO, THERE HAD A SIGN THEY USED TO PUT OUT EVERY FESTA ON OUR BUILDING, "THIS IS THE HOUSE THAT FESTA BUILT."

♪♪ >> THIS WAS THE HOUSE OF GOD THAT THE IMMIGRANTS BUILT AND DECORATED SOME 85 YEARS EARLIER.

THE BLESSED VIRGIN OF POMPEII CHURCH, ON NORTH JACKSON NEAR CLYBOURN, SHEPHERDED MILWAUKEE'S ITALIAN COMMUNITY FOR MORE THAN 60 YEARS.

VARIOUS RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES DONATED MONEY IN HONOR OF A SPECIFIC PATRON SAINT TO HELP PAY FOR THE CHURCH.

SUBSTANTIAL MONETARY DONATIONS FROM WEALTHY MILWAUKEEANS HELPED THE ITALIANS FINANCE THE REST OF THE $10,000 NEEDED TO MAKE POMPEII CHURCH A REALITY.

ARCHBISHOP SEBASTIAN MESSMER LAID THE CORNERSTONE ON OCTOBER 9, 1904.

FOR THE CHURCH'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY IN 1954, THE OUTSIDE CREAM CITY BRICK WAS PAINTED PINK FOLLOWING A TRADITION OF PASTEL COLORED CHURCHES IN RURAL ITALY.

FROM THEN ON, IT HAS BEEN AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS THE LITTLE PINK CHURCH, AS ORIGINALLY DESCRIBED BY "THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL."

THE CHURCH THAT SEATED SEVERAL HUNDRED WORSHIPPERS BECAME A HUGE FAITH-FILLED HUB OF PRAYER AND FELLOWSHIP.

>> SUNDAY WAS A SPECIAL DAY.

PEOPLE ARRIVED DRESSED IN THEIR BEST, EVEN BEFORE THE CHURCH BELL HAD ANNOUNCED THE HIGH MASS.

THEY MET OUTSIDE TO CHAT WITH FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS.

IN THE CHURCH, ALL THE MEN AND BOYS SAT ON ONE SIDE, WOMEN AND GIRLS ON THE OTHER.

THE PARISH PRIEST GAVE HIS SERMON AND THE ANNOUNCEMENTS IN ITALIAN.

>> WE WERE BAPTIZED THERE, WE WERE CONFIRMED THERE, WE HAD FIRST COMMUNION THERE.

A LOT OF US WERE ALTAR BOYS.

THE PRIESTS MADE SURE THAT WE WERE TAKEN CARE OF SOCIALLY, YOU KNOW, WE'D PLAY BALL.

THEY HAD A BIG ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF CHURCH, WE HAD BOXING.

>> LATER ON.

THE PRIEST BROUGHT A PROJECTOR AND A SCREEN AND HE WOULD SHOW MOVIES.

RELIGIOUS, OF COURSE.

>> IN EUROPE, IN ANY COMMUNITY, THE CHURCH WAS THE HEARTBEAT OF THE COMMUNITY.

IT WAS THE GATHERING PLACE.

LIFE STARTED THERE AND LIFE ENDED THERE.

>> IN 1905-1906, ONE OF THE GROUPS THAT CAME FROM ITALY HONORED THE HOLY CRUCIFIX, FIRST TO HAVE A FESTIVAL IN THE THIRD WARD.

NO ONE ELSE HAD EVER DONE THAT.

WHEN WE HAD A FESTIVAL, REGARDLESS IF IT WAS THE ITALIANS FROM WEST ALLIS, THIRD WARD OR BRADY STREET OR BAY VIEW, THEY CAME TO THE FESTIVAL.

THEY ENJOYED THE FESTIVALS.

WELL, WE HAD THE DELICACIES THAT ARE AT FESTA NOW.

THEY HAD THEIR FIRST TASTE OF CANNOLI.

THAT'S HOW IT ALL STARTED.

THEY'D SHOOT OFF AERIAL BOMBS AS SALUTES TO SAINTS.

WHAT ARE THOSE CRAZY ITALIANS DOING DOWN THERE?

THEY CAME DOWN AND THEY FELL IN LOVE WITH IT.

TO HAVE A PROCESSION OF A RELIGIOUS STATUE IN A SECULAR PLACE DOWN THE STREETS OF THE THIRD WARD.

THAT'S WHY AT FESTA WE HAVE THE MASS AND PROCESSION BECAUSE THAT'S THE EQUIDITY OF THE FESTIVAL, THE MASS AND PROCESSION.

>> HAIL MARY, FULL OF GRACE, THE LORD IS WITH THEE.

>> FAITH WAS VERY IMPORTANT.

I THINK TO THIS DAY PEOPLE PUT SOME VALIDITY INTO THEIR RELIGION, BROUGHT UP THAT WAY.

AND IT WAS INSTILLED IN THEM FROM CHILDHOOD AND I DON'T THINK TOO MANY STRAYED AWAY FROM THEIR BELIEFS.

>> IN THE LATE 1960S, URBAN RENEWAL CHANGED EVERYTHING FOR MILWAUKEE'S ITALIANS.

THEIR BELOVED LITTLE PINK CHURCH BECAME THE CENTER OF CONTROVERSY WHEN CITY LEADERS DECIDED TO TEAR IT DOWN TO MAKE ROOM FOR HIGHWAY EXPANSION.

THE CONGREGATION DESPERATELY TRIED TO SAVE THEIR CHURCH, BUT THEIR ATTEMPTS FAILED.

ON JULY 30, 1967, PARISHIONERS HELD THE LAST PROCESSION AND HIGH MASS AT THE BLESSED VIRGIN OF POMPEII CHURCH.

EIGHT MONTHS AFTER THE CITY DECLARED THE CHURCH MILWAUKEE'S FIRST HISTORIC LANDMARK, THE WRECKING BALL SHOWED UP.

THE LITTLE PINK CHURCH MET ITS FATE IN EARLY OCTOBER, 1967.

THE LOSS OF THE CHURCH LEFT BEHIND A TRAIL OF CRUSHED SPIRITS IN THE COMMUNITY.

AN HISTORICAL MARKER ON JACKSON BETWEEN CLYBOURN AND ST. PAUL IS ALL THAT'S LEFT AS A PHYSICAL REMINDER OF THE LITTLE PINK CHURCH.

EMOTIONAL SCARS REMAIN FOR MANY.

♪♪ >> PERHAPS IT WAS DIVINE INTERVENTION THAT ST. RITA OF CASCIA CHURCH ON PLEASANT AND CASS STREETS IN THE BRADY STREET NEIGHBORHOOD BECAME THE NEW FAITH HOME FOR MORE AND MORE OF MILWAUKEE'S ITALIANS.

IMMIGRANTS FOUNDED THIS RATHER INTIMATE CHURCH BACK IN 1939.

TODAY, IT'S PART OF THREE HOLY WOMEN PARISH.

RITA IS THE SAINT OF THE IMPOSSIBLE, WHO HAD A VERY DIFFICULT LIFE OF HER OWN.

>> SHE SUSTAINED IT THROUGH THE POWER OF UNDYING FAITH, AND SO WHAT I SEE IN TERMS OF RITA, SAINT OF THE IMPOSSIBLE, FOR US HERE IS THAT WE HAVE TO STOP THINKING ABOUT FEAR AND LIVING MORE IN HOPE.

>> WHAT I SEE HERE IS WONDERFUL PARISHIONERS, ULTIMATE IN HOSPITALITY, THEY LOVE THEIR HERITAGE.

WHEN I CAME ON AS THE POLISH PASTOR, I WAS THE FIRST POLISH PRIEST OF THIS PARISH EVER.

THE PRIEST THAT WAS MY PREDECESSOR WAS GERMAN.

HE WAS THE FIRST NON-ITALIAN PASTOR OF THIS PARISH.

WHAT I'VE SEEN IS A GREAT AMOUNT OF ADAPTATION.

WHAT WE'RE SEEING NOW, TOO, IS PEWS FILL UP NOW WITH YOUTH, SO OUR CHURCH IS FILLING WITH YOUTH AGAIN.

THEY LIKE THE SENSE OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE.

THE YOUNG PEOPLE LOVE ALL THE TRADITIONS, SENSE OF ITALIAN HOSPITALITY, COMMARADERIE, CATCHING UP BEFORE MASS, THEY LOVE THE STATUES, THEY LOVE THE TRADITION OF PROCESSION, SO THE OLDER PEOPLE ARE THE CORE GROUP THAT MIGHT BE GETTING A LITTLE OLDER ARE FINDING SOME JOY THAT THE CHURCH IS BEING PASSED ON.

♪♪ >> SO THE PRESENCE OF A CO-ETHNIC COMMUNITY MAKES IT EASIER TO TRANSITION INTO A NEW COUNTRY, BUT OVER TIME, THE NEED FOR SUCH A STRONG ETHNIC COMMUNITY DECLINES, MORE -- THE SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH GENERATION, THEY OBTAIN EDUCATION, BETTER JOBS, BETTER HOUSING, OUTSIDE OF THE ENCLAVE, THAT IS VERY NATURAL FOR YOUNGER GENERATIONS TO MOVE AWAY, TO THE SUBURBS AND THAT IN ITSELF IS EVIDENCE THAT THEY HAVE ACHIEVED MOBILITY, THEY HAVE ACHIEVED THE AMERICAN DREAM.

IT'S SORT OF LIKE EVIDENCE OF SUCCESS WHEN THOSE ETHNIC NEIGHBORHOODS DISAPPEAR.

THEY ASSIMILIATED TO A MORE AMERICAN IDENTITY AND MOVE TO THE SUBURBS, BUT STILL KEEP TIES TO THE CITY, AND MANY OF THEM GO BACK TO THE CHURCH IN THE CITY LIKE ON BRADY STREET, THEY GO TO CHURCH THERE AND BUY GROCERIES FROM GLORIOSO'S.

>> AT THAT TIME, YOU HAD MORE OF THIS FAMILY.

WE WERE ALL ITALIANS.

THEN THE CHILDREN GROW UP, MAYBE THEY MARRY NON-ITALIANS, NOW YOU BREAK UP.

WE STILL WANT TO TEACH THEM THE WAY WE WERE BROUGHT UP, BUT YOU LOSE THAT AS THE GENERATIONS GO ON, BUT FOR US, IT WAS A COMMON THING TO HAVE THE BIG PASTA DINNER ON SUNDAY OR A SEVEN COURSE MEAL THAT AN AUNT WAS MAKING SOMEPLACE ELSE, BUT IT WAS COMMON, EVERY SUNDAY WE'D BE DOING SOMETHING WITH FAMILY.

SO I THINK THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN A STRONGER FAMILY RELATIONSHIP AT THAT TIME, WHEREAS TODAY WE'RE ALL SO BUSY, WE'RE ALL BUSY.

I KNOW HOW I WAS RAISED.

AND YOU TRY TO USE THAT ON YOUR CHILDREN, AND I THINK WE DID.

AND NOT MARRIED TO AN ITALIAN, BUT WE STILL -- GEORGE WILL STILL UNDERSTAND ME IF I SAY WORDS IN ITALIAN, CERTAIN WORDS.

[LAUGHTER] >> I DON'T FEEL THAT THE YOUNGER GENERATION HAS ANY CONCERN WHATSOEVER ABOUT THEIR PAST.

MAYBE WHEN THEY'RE OLDER THEY MIGHT BEGIN TO LOOK TO IT.

>> OH, MY HOPE IS THAT THEY CARRY ON THE EXPERIENCE, THE ITALIAN COMMUNITY CENTER, THE CULTURE AND EVERYTHING WE DO THERE.

WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.

I HOPE THEY FEEL THEY CAN'T LEAVE IT ALL UP TO THE ELDERLY.

WE NEED SOME YOUNG PEOPLE TO CARRY ON WHAT WE STARTED.

>> MY GOAL IS TO TRY TO DRIVE THE YOUNGER GENERATION BACK IN, LET THEM UNDERSTAND THIS IS YOUR CULTURE, THIS IS YOUR HERITAGE, THIS IS WHO YOU ARE, PRIMARILY LIKE TO SEE MORE ENGAGED, THIS IS WHAT I'M ABOUT, I TAKE PRIDE OR I STRONGLY BELIEVE IN WHAT MY ANCESTORS DID FOR US.

>> I THINK THE FACT THAT I AM A [SPEAKING IN ITALIAN] >> I THINK THE FACT THAT I AM A LITTLE BIT YOUNGER AND I CAN RELATE MORE TO THE YOUNGER GENERATION, WHAT THEIR EXPECTATIONS ARE OR WHAT THEIR BELIEFS MAY BE, WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING AS AN ORGANIZATION, I'M HOPING THAT I'LL BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE BETTER WITH THEM AND ATTRACT THEM BETTER.

>> BEING A TEACHER 20 YEARS, YOU'RE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT HOW THIS GENERATION IS DIFFERENT FROM THE LAST.

WHAT I LIKE TO SEE THESE DAYS, IT'S HAPPENING IN THE IRISH COMMUNITY, ITALIAN COMMUNITY, GERMAN COMMUNITY, IS THOSE OLD NAMES ARE COMING BACK.

ITALIAN-AMERICAN KIDS AREN'T NAMED JOE AND MARK AS THEY WERE TWO GENERATIONS AGO.

MARIOS ARE COMING BACK.

MY DAUGHTER'S NAME IS LUCIA, AND I THINK THAT REFLECTS GOING BACK TO AN EARLIER TIME.

EVEN IF THEY DON'T KNOW A LOT ABOUT THEIR FAMILY STORIES, THEY'RE PROUD OF WHO THEY ARE.

>> I'M VINCENZO SALVATORE BALISTRERI, I'M 25, AND PROUD TO BE SICILIAN.

MY MIDDLE NAME SALVATORE IS NAMED AFTER MY GRANDFATHER SAL BALISTRERI WHO GREW UP IN MILWAUKEE AND STARTED OUR FAMILY BUSINESS, BALISTRERI TRUCKING, RIGHT HERE IN THE THIRD WARD.

HE FELT PRIDEFUL ENOUGH TO GIVE ME A NAME WHERE WE CAME FROM, SO I THINK BEING ABLE TO CARRY THAT ON IS A GOOD FEELING.

>> THERE'S A PSYCHOLOGICAL NEED TO CONNECT WITH YOUR ROOTS, AND AS A PROFESSOR, I SEE MANY OF MY STUDENTS LOOKING FOR THAT CONNECTION.

>> THERE'S A DISTINCT DIFFERENCE IN THE ITALIAN CULTURE IN BEING ITALIAN AND SICILIAN, AND HAVING A NAME LIKE VINCENZO, OH, YOU'RE ITALIAN.

AND I ALWAYS CORRECT THEM, THAT I'M SICILIAN.

IT'S A JOKE NOW WITH MY FRIENDS, THAT IF SOMEONE SAYS I'M ITALIAN, THEY'LL JUMP IN AND SAY, NO, HE'S SICILIAN.

AND WE ALL LAUGH ABOUT IT.

THE LITTLE CHURCH OF POMPEII, WHICH IS A CORNERSTONE TO THE ITALIAN CULTURE IN MILWAUKEE, IS WHERE MY DAD WENT TO CHURCH WHEN HE WAS A KID, AND WHEN THAT CHURCH SHUT DOWN, THEY MOVED A LOT OF THEIR ACTIVITY TO FESTA.

IT'S STILL A CORNERSTONE IN MILWAUKEE, THE LITTLE CHURCH OF POMPEII.

THE IMAGE OF THE LITTLE PINK CHURCH.

AND MY DAD BEGAN USHERING MASS AT FESTA, AND WHEN I TURNED 15, HE HAD TOLD ME A LOT OF THE OLDER GENERATIONS ARE FALLING OFF, AND YOUR GRANDFATHER CAN'T WALK IN THE PROCESSION FROM ONE END OF THE SUMMERFEST GROUNDS TO THE OTHER.

WE NEED YOUNGER PEOPLE LIKE YOU.

MY YOUNGER BROTHER AND I STEPPED UP AND WE'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR TEN YEARS EVER SINCE THEN.

IN A VERY NON-OVERT WAY, IT'S A WAY FOR ME TO BEAT MY CHEST A LITTLE THAT I AM SICILIAN AND THAT I'M PROUD OF BEING SICILIAN AND PROUD OF FESTA AND WHAT WE'RE DOING.

THOUGH I NEVER HAD A CHANCE TO ATTEND THE LITTLE PINK CHURCH, I UNDERSTAND IT'S PART OF WHERE WE CAME FROM.

I THINK YOUNGER GENERATIONS HAVE TO BE PROUD OF WHERE THEY'RE FROM AND HAVE TO BE EXCITED THAT WE ARE THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE REASONS WE HAVE FESTA AND GREAT ITALIAN BAKERIES THAT WILL LIVE -- BECAUSE OF OUR GRANDPARENTS, BECAUSE THEY'RE PROUD OF WHERE THEY CAME FROM AND DON'T WANT TO LOSE THEIR CULTURE, SO UNDERSTANDING WHERE WE CAME FROM AND BEING PROUD OF THE FACT THAT OUR ANCESTORS HAVE DONE SOMETHING, SETTLED SOMETHING AND CREATED SOMETHING THAT WILL LIVE IN MILWAUKEE FOR A LONG TIME, I THINK UNDERSTANDING THAT IS WHAT WILL DRAW IN THE YOUNGER GROUP.

♪♪ >> LANGUAGE IS THE WAY IN WHICH ONE GENERATION HANDS DOWN A CULTURE TO THE NEXT GENERATION.

ONCE YOU LOSE THE LANGUAGE, YOU LOSE A GOOD PART OF THE CULTURE, YOUR AWARENESS OF THE CULTURE, NUANCES OF THE CULTURE.

>> WE CHOSE TO SEND OUR TWO BOYS TO THE ITALIAN IMMERSION SCHOOL HERE AT VICTORY BECAUSE, FIRST OF ALL, WE TRULY BELIEVE THAT LEARNING A SECOND LANGUAGE IN ANY SHAPE OR FORM IS IMPERATIVE.

ESPECIALLY IN TODAY'S WORKFORCE, BUT MY HUSBAND'S BACKGROUND FROM SICILY AND MY BACKGROUND, AS WELL WITH THE ITALIAN CULTURE, GO BACK TO SICILY, SO IN ORDER FOR THEM TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR COUSINS AND GRANDPARENTS AND AUNTS AND UNCLES, WE JUST FELT IT IMPERATIVE AND THE LEARNING MIND, IT OPENS SO MANY OTHER DOORS FOR THEM AS WELL.

>> CARRYING ON THE LANGUAGE SO IT DOESN'T GET LOST, THE DIALECT DOESN'T GET LOST AND CARRYING ON THE TRADITIONS IS IMPERATIVE FOR MY BOYS, BECAUSE THAT IS PART OF WHO THEY ARE AND WHAT HEADACHES THEM PART OF -- WHAT MAKES THEM PART OF WHO THEY ARE AND I WANT THEM TO CONTINUE THAT ON WITH THEIR CHILDREN, AND GRANDCHILDREN AND GREAT GRANDCHILDREN.

>> "CAIO ME YAMO GINO."

>> I LIKE ITALAIN BECAUSE WE ALWAYS SPEAK THAT.

>> I LIKE GOING TO SCHOOL HERE BECAUSE THE NEXT TIME I GO TO ITALY I'LL KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING HALF THE TIME.

>> MY NAME IS GIANLUCA AND I'M FIVE YEARS OLD.

I LIKE ITALIAN BECAUSE OF MY MOM AND DAD.

>> I WAS BORN IN NASSO, WHICH IS A SMALL TOWN, BUT I'M FROM A REGION IN MESSINA ON NORTH COAST OF SICILY, AND I CAME HERE 23 YEARS AGO.

THERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU WANT TO KEEP IT FROM YOUR ROOTS.

NOT EVERYBODY SPEAKS ENGLISH CAN SPEAK ITALIAN.

SOME OF MY FAMILY DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH, SO IT'S IMPORTANT WHEN MY KIDS GO BACK TO SICILY OR ITALY, THEY SPEAK ITALIAN.

>> WHATEVER LEVEL YOU LEARN THE LANGUAGE, YOU CAN NEVER RECAPTURE THE ETHNIC LIFE YOUR FOREBEARERS LIVED, THE ETHNIC IDENTIY IS GOING TO BE PARTIAL, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO LIVE IT EVERYDAY, SO YOU GET TO CHOOSE HOW ETHNIC YOU WANT TO BE.

>> I DON'T BELIEVE THAT ETHNIC IDENTITY CAN JUST GO AWAY.

IT HAS SHAPED EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US AS AMERICANS.

WE SKYPE EVERY SUNDAY WITH FAMILY MEMBERS AND THEY CONNECT THROUGH OUR FACEBOOK PAGES WITH THEIR COUSINS AND WILINESS TO THE ITALIAN -- WE LISTEN TO THE ITALIAN MUSIC AND WE MAKE FOOD FOR EASTER, SO -- THEY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING DIFFERENT.

TO THEM, THAT'S THEIR NORMAL.

THAT'S OUR NORMAL.

AS MY BOYS ARE FIRST GENERATION ITALIAN, I HAVE SEEN THEM BE RIDICULED AT TIMES FOR WITH WE'RE SPEAKING TO THEM IN PUBLIC.

PEOPLE HAVE TURNED AROUND AND LOOKED AT US AND SAID, SPEAK ENGLISH.

AND MY COMMENT ALWAYS IS, I SPEAK ENGLISH, BUT I'M VERY PROUD OF SPEAKING THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE AS WELL BECAUSE THAT'S PART OF WHO I AM.

♪♪ >> MILWAUKEE'S ITALIANS ARE, WITHOUT QUESTION, PROUD OF WHO THEY ARE AND EVEN PROUDER OF THEIR ROOTS.

ITALIANS MAKE UP JUST UNDER 4% OF THE CITY'S POPULATION TODAY BEHIND THE GERMAN, POLISH AND IRISH.

NUMBERS ASIDE, THEIR IMPRINT IN THE MILWAUKEE AREA REMAINS STRONG.

ITALIAN CULTURE CONTINUES TO PEPPER MILWAUKEE'S LANDSCAPE WITH RESTAURANTS, SHOPS AND ITALIAN-BASED ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT.

>> BUT FOR THESE PEOPLE, THERE'S STILL NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN FAMILY AND FINDING MEANINGFUL WAYS TO CONTINUE THE ITALIAN STORY.

>> I THINK PEOPLE REMEMBER THEIR STORIES.

I HAVE STORIES FROM MY GRANDMOTHER I'LL NEVER FORGET.

WHAT I LOVED A LOT ABOUT HER IS THAT ONCE SHE WAS INDEPENDENT, SHE WAS MARRIED, SHE WAS FREE TO GO TO COLLEGE.

SHE HAD A YOUNG CHILD ON HER BACK, SHE WENT TO COLLEGE, GOT A DEGREE AND BECAME A TEACHER.

SHE TAUGHT ITALIAN, FRENCH, AND SPANISH.

AND SHE KIND OF INSPIRED ME TO BE A TEACH EARLY.

-- TEACHER.

>> I TRY TO COOK LIKE MY MOTHER, WAIT FOR THAT SAUCE, COMING TO OUR HOME.

>> IT'S A CHALLENGE.

GOING BACK TO WHAT THE OLDER GENERATION FEELS THAT IT'S DYING OFF AND IT'S GOING AWAY, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT TO BE TRUE, IT'S ALL WHAT THEY INSTILL IN THEIR KIN, THEIR KIDS AND THEIR GRANDKIDS, YOU KNOW.

IF THEY'RE VERY SUPPORTIVE OF WHO THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY BELIEVE IN, THEN THEY SHOULD KEEP PASSING THAT ALONG TO THEIR FAMILIES, AS OURS GO TO US.

>> I THINK THE ITALIAN COMMUNITY HERE IN MILWAUKEE HAD A TREMENDOUS AND STILL HAS A TREMENDOUS IMPACT ON THE CITY, FROM THE POINT OF VIEW, ENTREPRENEURS LIKE THE BARTOLLATTAS, GLORIOSOS, CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERSHIP, LIKE FR.

GROPPI, LARGE IMPACT ON THIS COMMUNITY.

CITY POLITICIANS AND CITY LEADERS.

THEIR IMPACT HAS BEEN TREMENDOUS.

THEIR RELATIONSHIP IN TERMS OF FESTA ITALIANA AND FESTIVALS AROUND THE CITY.

IT'S OBVIOUS THEY HAVE HAD A LARGE IMPACT ON THIS COMMUNITY.

>> IF I HAD TO LIVE MY LIFE ALL OVER AGAIN, I WOULDN'T CHANGE A THING ONE BIT.

>> I HAD A GOOD LIFE HERE.

I'VE ENJOYED MY LIFE IN MILWAUKEE.

>> HERE WE ARE, WE MADE IT THROUGH ALL THOSE STRUGGLES.

I THINK WE'RE A BETTER PEOPLE BECAUSE OF IT.

WE WENT THROUGH TOUGH TIMES, NOW WE ENJOY THE PLEASURES OF LIFE TODAY, WE ENJOY THEM AND WE APPRECIATE THEM.

>> TRADITION, THAT'S THE NAME OF THE GAME.

TRADITION.

>> ITALIANS ARE GREAT PEOPLE.

[SPEAKING IN ITALIAN] >> I'M PROUD TO BE AN ITALIAN.

>> GRAZIE.

ARRIVEDERCI.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ >> SUPPORT FUNDING FOR THIS PROGRAM WAS PROVIDED BY THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING.