Describe the traditional methods of HEALING of the White non-Hispanic populations
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home and 39.6% speak English less than very well. Fifty-one percent of people of Italian ancestry reside in the Northeast (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001, p. 46).
Italian Americans indeed have a proud heritage in the United States, for America was “founded” by an Italian—Christopher Columbus; named for an Italian—Amerigo Vespucci; and explored by several Italian explorers, including Verrazano, Cabot, and Tonti (Bernardo, 1981, p. 26).
History of Migration
Between 1820 and 1990, over 5 million people from Italy immigrated to the United States (Lefcowitz, 1990, p. 6). The peak years were from 1901 to 1920, and only a small number of people continue to come today. Italians came to this country to escape poverty and to search for a better life in a country where they expected to reap rewards for their hard labor. The early years were not easy, but people chose to remain in this country and not return to Italy. Italians tended to live in neighborhood enclaves, and these neighborhoods, such as the North End in Boston and Little Italy in New York, still exist as Italian neighborhoods. Although the younger generation may have moved out, they still return home to maintain family, community, and ethnic ties (Nelli, 1980, pp. 545–560).
The family has served as the main tie keeping Italian Americans together because it provides its members with the strength to cope with the surround- ing world and produces a sense of continuity in all situations. The family is the primary focus of the Italian’s concern, and Italians take pride in the family and the home. Italians are resilient, yet fatalistic, and they take advantage of the present. Many upwardly mobile third- and fourth-generation Italian Americans often experience conflict between familial solidarity and society’s emphasis on individualization and autonomy (Giordano & McGoldrick, 1996, p. 571). As mentioned, the home is a source of great pride, and it is a symbol of the family, not a status symbol per se. The church also is an important focus for the life of the Italian. Many of the festivals and observances continue to exist today, and in the summer, the North End of Boston, Massachusetts, is alive each weekend with the celebration of a different saint (Figure 13–6). Madonna Della Cava