Immigration from Italy to United States
McCleary
HIST 150
Brittany Swafford
3/23/16
- Citation information:
- Carmella Pinto Interview, History 150 Spring 2016, Conducted by Brittany Swafford, Immigration from Italy to United States, March 13, 2016
- Transcription:
- This interview was done in person on Sunday, March 13, 2016 around 12 pm at Mr. and Mrs. Pinto’s home in Winchester, Virginia. Upon arriving at the Pinto residence, I sat next to Mrs. Pinto and set up the digital audio recorder that I had rented from the JMU media resources center. The space we used for recording the interview was fairly quiet. In the room with Mrs. Pinto and I, Nathaniel Pinto (grandson), Kaylie Riggleman, and few other family members listened to the interview.
- Carmella Pinto immigrated the United States on a boat destined for New York with her immediate family because her parents had decided that the U.S. would provide a better lifestyle for their family. After being in the United States for some time, Carmella and her sister both returned to Sicily, Italy where they were married before returning to permanently live in the United States with their husbands. In 1957, both Mr. and Ms. Pinto immigrated to Maryland from Sicily, Italy. After Carmella’s son had been a victim of violence in Maryland, the Pinto’s decided to move to Virginia to a safer community. They now live on their own farm in Virginia and own a barber shop.
- Between 1911 and 1920, the largest Italian immigration to the United States occurred. During these years a total of 5,735,811 Italian immigrants moved to the United States. The majority of these immigrants were agricultural workers immigrating to the United States for economic reasons. Many of these workers did not have industrial work experience when they first came to the country; however, they quickly became a vital portion of the United State’s textile, mining, and clothing manufacturing industries. Today Americans with Italian ancestry are the 5th largest ethnic group in the United States.
- Transcription of Interview:
BS: What influenced your decision to immigrate to the United States from Italy?
CP: Because of my daddy, he wanted better living for us. I was underaged. My daddy come first, 1954. We come 1956. All of us, me, my 2 sisters, my little brother, and my mom.
BS: Were there certain challenges that came with immigrating?
CP: No. We miss it a little bit when we came here, me and my sister. We got homesick. My aunts and uncles and grandparents were all close over there but then we had our brother, our mother, and our uncle. My daddy’s side all here, not my mom’s side they are still over there. Not my grandma and grandpa on my daddy’s side. We got homesick, you always get homesick, but it was okay.
English. Oh my God. It was hard. No help. No interpreter. We try, we try to learn. And now everybody have it easy. They have interpreter, but not us. We learned. I went to school a little bit for my American citizen papers. But that was it. I told my dad I was too old. I was 14/15, and I told him was too old to go to school. Because in Italy, 10 you’re done. Those days! Now you don’t go to school your parents go to jail. Oh yeah, they have to! If the doctor prescribes you as sick, it’s a different story, but other than that. But before, we need you to work. We need you on the farm with your sisters and brothers. We don’t need to go to school.
BS: Was that different when you moved here?
CP: Oh yeah, different. Of course it is better. Better living. Always better living over here. Now, changed. Now is not like before hunny. I don’t say it’s bad but – it’s hard for the young generation now. There is more crime here and in Italy too I think. They change a lot too it is not like before. We never close our door, never. Our door is always open all the time. Even here though 56,57,58 when we lived on Minnesota avenue. Nothing. My momma always leave the door open for my little brother to come home from school. But now, they broke windows, they broke everything. Now before was better, much better here too. Much much better. Unfortunately everything change.
BS: Where did you move when you first came to the United States?
CP: We come to DC. We come to Minnesota avenue, with my dad. Then I go back in Italy after two years and get married. Me and my sister we get married together. Then we stay there for a couple weeks. Then I left my husband over there. Then I come back, I make the papers. Then the President Kennedy come up and he put the law all the families have to be together. And the paper was already done. I go to Italian immigration over here. I make that my husband was over there, I was citizen and I was suppose to get my husband over here. Then they make changes, and I think quickly he come, quickly. We were married four years before we having Anna. Yeah, because he was over there I was over here. That was how we started. Then my husband was here. He suffered too. Poor little thing. Oh, he suffered. One time he was he was (…) and the bus don’t stop. He throw the bag on the bus. (…) We suffer hunny. We suffer. And that why, you suffer to live well. If you don’t suffer, you don’t learn. We suffer, that how we started. Then we was in Minnesota avenue. We bought a house with two bedrooms with my sister. I do everything together with my sister, my older one. So we did everything together. She got Johnny, I got Anna. And we was with my mom in 2124 Minnesota ave. It was big house. And it was too much people. We got two babies. My sister said why don’t we get house together. So, we got house on 2011 Eller road, 2 bedroom. One bedroom for me. My bedroom was like a porch, but it was bedroom. Then almost 3 years later I was pregnant with Albert. My husband said we have to move, I can’t raise another child here. Nope, I’m not going can’t have another baby. I started crying I didn’t want to leave my sister. Then we went to Clinton, Maryland. We got a 3 bedroom. Albert was baby baby. Anna was about 3. So I have 2 little kids, they cry. I was lonely, I want my mom. I want my sister. It was huge house for me. Then I stay there until we move here to Virginia. I raise my kids, beautiful neighborhood. All catholic. All Italian people around us, they helping one another. (…) That was home. My momma was down the street. My sister moved. Everybody followed and was happy.
I don’t drive, one of my friend used to take Anna to school. Then another friend of mine she say you know what, Antoinette kinda complained she picked up Anna, you can learn it too. I said oh my God, I told my husband you have to teach me. I don’t want Antoinette to pick up my daughter anymore. It wasn’t that easy to learn, Granddaddy teach me. But even when I went for my licenses. (…) But I pass I was so excited. But it was not easy. I told my friend, I say thank you so much for helping with Anna but I learn how to take Anna to school now. Catholic school don’t have busses. So I say thank you. Then I used to go see her at lunch. The I was drive until Anna take over. The first day Anna got her license, she take her brother to school.
The reason we moved to Virginia was because my son got hurt. Albert got hurt. Did you see the way your daddy face is? [Talking to Nathaniel her grandson] Lot of black people. He was in the shopping center with a lot of people, Italian people. It was fireworks, fourth of July, I never liked fourth of July. I was working very very early morning. After that Mrs. R (…) says Alberts in bed with us to pizza hut. They will sit in the Volkswagen or the nova. Bunch of black guys come up to him. They ask for some kind of money or something, I forget. He say I don’t have any money, they say you do. He said you want to see? I don’t have it. So he try to open something in the car. They hit him with a sharp thing right here [face area]. They put him unconscious. He was unconscious in the parking lot. I think he dead. So it was about 11 or 12 at night, somebody knock on my door. Open up, I see one of my good friend she crying and screaming. She say I think he going to be okay. We rush to the hospital. My son was dead almost. They open up here completely [face area]. That is the reason we are in Virginia. It was prejudice. (…)
BS: Were there other prejudice when you moved here?
CP: No, not really. I never have any problem. Because there was good people from any nation. We work with my sister we make and finish blinds in DC for 96 cents an hour. 96 girl. But, dozen eggs was 15 cents, gas was 19 cents, bottle coke was 10 cents. This was 56/57 [year]. You go with 20 dollar you come back with big thing of grocery. Now, no. We have 2 black guys, Jimmy and Roosevelt. They was the ones that help me and my sister so much. They help us speak english. They help us so much. One day they say “that’s it” (…) they put a little box, money box one english one Italian. Every word Italian put a nickel or ten cents, we only make 90 cents! He says I don’t want you to stay quiet, I want you to talk, but english not Italian! Then he take us for lunch, they was the best. That is why I say they not all [bad].
- Conclusion:
I think that the overall interview went well. It flowed very well. Carmella was able to tell me a lot about her experiences with immigrating. I think in some parts we went off course but I don’t feel it was particularly a bad thing. She was able to hit on a lot of points without me having to ask. I feel that Mrs. Pinto was very open and honest about her experiences which really helped keep the interview authentic and interesting. I am happy with the outcome of the interview and am appreciative to have been able to hear Carmella’s story first hand.