Latest news with #ItalianAmericans
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Italian flag colors were removed from a Newton street. Residents rebelled.
To some Nonantum residents, it was an assault on their heritage -- especially given the timing, three weeks before the start of their beloved festival. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'These lines are not just paint, they are sacred symbols of Italian American pride, religious tradition and community identity,' the St. Mary of Carmen Society, the local group that holds the festival, wrote in a statement. The city's action, it added, was 'a slap in the face.' Advertisement Newton, a suburb of Boston known for liberal politics, pricey real estate and highly regarded schools, is made up of 13 'villages,' each with its own identity. Nonantum has long been a neighborhood where immigrants settle. Irish and French Canadians came in the first half of the 19th century, followed by Italian and Jewish immigrants in the 1880s, said Jordan Lee Wagner, a longtime resident who has studied local history. Advertisement A tight-knit neighborhood where people worked blue-collar jobs and where modest homes were passed down through generations, Nonantum has increasingly become a place apart, Wagner said. Some residents feel looked down upon by the rest of the city, he said, for their more conservative politics and old-world traditions. Some took it personally when the city replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous People's Day, bristling at a perceived insult to Italian Americans. For them, the removal of the red, white and green from Adams Street felt like a particularly pointed insult, said Fran Yerardi, who previously ran an Italian restaurant and now has a real estate business in Nonantum. He said many residents were already frustrated by changes that they see as eroding the character of their neighborhood, including proposals for new housing and other development. 'It used to be a working-class neighborhood, where people were gardeners and housekeepers,' Yerardi said. 'Now they're building $4 million condos, and the original people are being pushed out.' The encroachment goes beyond real estate, he added: 'As the community gentrifies, we get more pushback on our traditions and blue-collar mentality. We're praying to a saint in the street -- it doesn't fit, in one of the richest towns in Massachusetts.' Similar grievances have bubbled up in Boston's North End neighborhood, another traditionally Italian enclave. There, some business owners have complained that Mayor Michelle Wu, the first woman and nonwhite mayor elected in the city, and whose politics are more progressive than her predecessors', has treated them poorly because they are Italian. Erin O'Brien, a professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Boston who has studied shifting political dynamics in Boston and the surrounding region, said the strong sentiments in both Nonantum and the North End reflect the complicated history of Italian Americans. Advertisement 'Italian Americans in the Boston area still understand themselves as immigrants who came over and were treated incredibly poorly, and that is historically accurate,' she said. 'But Italians and Irish have ascended for a long time, and now, with demographic changes, they have to share their power.' She acknowledged the loss on Adams Street as something meaningful, a joyful element of local landscape and identity for 90 years. But, she added, 'This isn't just about paint -- it's a symbol that resonates around who has power.' The angst is not unique to Boston. In New York City last week, Italian Americans protested outside the office of Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor, after an old photo resurfaced of him giving the middle finger to a Columbus statue. Outraged by the line's erasure, some in Nonantum chose to escalate the conflict. Dozens showed up for a protest outside City Hall. On the eve of the Italian American festival, some residents of the neighborhood took to the street in the middle of the night and repainted the tricolor stripe over segments of the new yellow line. One of the paintbrush-wielding scofflaws was detained by police, who said they would charge him with defacing or damaging city property. Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, who, like Wu, is the first woman to lead her city, has stood by her decision to paint the line yellow. The change, she has said, was required under federal regulations and was urgently needed to address a high rate of accidents on the street. Advertisement A spokesperson for Fuller, a Democrat who is not seeking reelection, said she was not available for an interview last week. In written answers to questions from The New York Times, Fuller said the city had communicated with festival leaders 'over many months' about the need for a yellow line on Adams Street and had agreed to let volunteers repaint the red, white and green stripes on the street somewhere to the side of the yellow line. The city made its decision 'thoughtfully,' Fuller wrote, 'understanding that we could simultaneously improve public safety while maintaining the neighborhood's long traditions.' Residents, who said they were given no warning about the line's removal, were not appeased by the offer to move their colors to the side. Wagner was convinced that the proliferating lines in the street would confuse and endanger drivers. Yerardi feared the Italian flag colors would end up 'in the gutter.' Wagner, who is Jewish, said a long history of friendship between Jews and Italians in Nonantum made him deeply protective of his neighbors. Irked by the city's action, and eager to repay past kindnesses, he issued a mild-mannered call to action on his Facebook page. 'It seems that we should just go out and paint,' he wrote the day before the festival began. 'What can they do? Arrest us?' After others took him up on his suggestion that night, Wagner felt compelled to join the next day, pushing a long-handled roller dipped in green paint down the middle of Adams Street. Police did not try to stop him. 'Some people thought it was an Italian thing,' he said of the old red, white and green line. 'They didn't understand it was a neighborhood thing.' Advertisement Other critics of Fuller's action include a former Massachusetts transportation secretary, Gina Fiandaca, who is Italian American. She wrote in a letter to The Boston Herald that the city's claim that the yellow line was needed for safety 'lacks merit.' Residents, too, have challenged the accuracy of the traffic analysis cited by the mayor. Fuller said another study will be done later this year. There was no shortage of ethnic spirit in Nonantum's streets July 20, the final night of the festival, as residents of diverse backgrounds partied in driveways and backyards under strings of twinkling red, white and green lights. Crosswalks, fire hydrants and numerous side streets bore stripes in the three colors. 'Stop Italian Hate in America,' read a yard sign on one lawn. The start of the five-day festival had felt overshadowed by unrest. By the end, after the renegade painters had covered most of the new centerline on Adams Street with their own handiwork, elation took over, Yerardi said. 'It became a rebellion, the people against the government,' he said. 'So what does the mayor do now?' Pressed on his question, Fuller said the yellow line would be restored. This article originally appeared in
Time Out
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
A huge Italian street festival is taking over Williamsburg this week
Williamsburg smells like sausage and peppers again, which can only mean one thing: the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast is back, and it's bigger, louder and more delicious than ever. Now in full swing through Sunday, July 20, this 12-day celebration is one of the city's most vibrant and historic street festivals—a dazzling mashup of old-world tradition and neighborhood block party. At the heart of it all is the Giglio: a 70-foot wooden tower adorned with angels, flowers and saints, carried through the streets by more than 100 men to the soundtrack of live brass bands. (And yes, there's also a boat. Long story.) The tradition stretches back to 1887, when immigrants from Nola, Italy, settled in Brooklyn and brought their devotion to San Paolino with them. Legend has it that Paolino, a 5th-century bishop, offered himself into slavery to save a widow's son and later returned home to a hero's welcome, greeted with lilies, or 'gigli,' from his grateful townspeople. Over time, those lilies became a soaring tower and the feast became a spectacle of faith, food and community. Today, it's still anchored by the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, where generations of Italian Americans (and now just about everyone else) gather to dance, pray and indulge. The Giglio itself is lifted several times over the course of the festival, with the biggest and most theatrical hoist happening this Sunday. But the party doesn't stop there. There's a smaller Giglio just for kids today, and Wednesday marks the Feast Day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, celebrated with a special afternoon Mass and a procession through the neighborhood. For night owls, Thursday's after-dark Giglio lift is a can't-miss spectacle, lit by streetlights and powered by cheers from the crowd. Each day brings new live performances and endless snacks—from crispy zeppole to overflowing sausage rolls. From morning Masses to late-night performances, the streets are alive with music, lights, and the constant whirr of carnival rides. Kids line up for games, old-timers swap stories over espresso and everyone makes time for a fried zeppole (or three). It's chaotic, joyful and unmistakably New York.
The Star
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Bari's big moment
ANTONIO Maria Vasile began working two years ago to connect the United States directly with Puglia, the heel of Italy's boot where many Italian Americans can trace their heritage. Vasile, the head of Puglia's airports, tried to convince carriers that they should set their sights not on Naples or Sicily but on Bari, arguing that the regional capital offers rich culture, history and cuisine worthy of their time and money. 'We don't want to be relegated to being the south,' he said, referring to deeply ingrained biases in Italy against the more economically disadvantaged regions south of Rome. His efforts paid off late last year, when Italian carrier Neos announced direct flights between Bari and New York's Kennedy Airport beginning the first week of June, the first-ever route linking Puglia to the United States. The seasonal flights will run once a week through October. Vasile sees opportunities for all of Puglia, from farmhouse inns to seaside villages, but also for his city of 330,000 people. Vasile, the head of Puglia's airports, sees opportunities for all of Puglia, from farmhouse inns to seaside villages, but also for his city of about 330,000 people. — Gianni Cipriano/The New York Times The port city on the Adriatic was once little more than a stopover, a gateway to the resplendent beach towns of southern Puglia or Greece via ferry. Bari was too sleepy and sketchy for most tourists, its old town so dangerous that even residents considered it off-limits. Puglia's many charms – a stunning coastline, beautiful architecture, relaxed feel – turned the region into a buzzy destination first. Regulars include Madonna, Helen Mirren and Meryl Streep. Lamborghinis await in the rental car garage. Last year, Italy picked Puglia for the G7 summit, hosting dignitaries in the luxury resort of Borgo Egnazia. Now Bari, with its 14.5km seafront promenade and the tomb of the real St Nicholas, is beginning to capitalise on the region's growing appeal, its old days of mob crime mostly behind it. 'This great appeal to tourists has made the people of Bari rediscover a little bit of pride,' mayor Vito Leccese said. 'The more tourists come, the more important we feel, because it means our city is well-liked.' Yet there is also some trepidation among residents that – although Bari is hardly Florence, Rome or Venice – it, too, could be overrun by tourists, or at least profoundly reshaped by them. Does a city that only recently remade its identity now risk losing it? A man riding his bicycle through Piazza Mercantile in Bari. Foreigners – and residents – long avoided Bari's old town, which had been plagued by mob crime and now, with direct flights from the United States starting, residents are excited but wary. — Gianni Cipriano/The New York Times Tourists walking by the Norman-Swabian Castle, built around 1132 by Norman King Roger II, in Bari. — Gianni Cipriano/The New York Times Rents have surged in the city centre as many landlords have turned their properties into short-term rentals. Older people on fixed incomes have had to move farther away. So have students of the city's two universities, who represent the very demographic that local leaders say they want to keep, to help reverse decades of brain drain that have affected all of Italy, especially the south, as young people seek better jobs elsewhere. 'Bari is seen as a destination you pass through and then leave,' Mery Coppolecchia, a 22-year-old political science student, said as she sat in a bustling central plaza on the university's urban campus. 'It's a shame because if graduates and students don't stay here, then who does?' Even if they stay, tourism 'is not something stable', said Gabriele Tedesco, 21, a law student, noting that many hospitality jobs are seasonal or low paying. 'It is not something that can sustain, even in the long term, a city's economy.' For tourism to fuel economic development, local governments would also have to invest in public transportation to benefit residents and businesses, said Maria Grazia Cito, an adjunct professor of applied economics and tourism in Bari. It takes her an hour to drive into the city for work – or three hours on public transit. 'Residents should come first,' she said, or the city could lose its character. (Think Venice, which is charging a fee to day trippers who pack the city's antiquated streets, crowding out residents.) 'It's like Disneyland. It loses all its authenticity,' she said. Officials know they have much to do. 'If you want to rent a Ferrari in the airports of Puglia, it is not a problem,' said Vasile. 'The problem is finding a bus.' Bari has come so far that it is easy to be optimistic about its future, said Gianrico Carofiglio, a novelist and former anti-mafia prosecutor. He recalled how he avoided certain neighbourhoods in his youth because they were so crime-ridden. By the time his own daughter was a teenager, she was safe walking alone most anywhere at night. 'The city was transformed, from all points of view,' he said. More shops and cafes. More culture, including an annual film festival. More writers like him who set much of their work in Bari or Puglia. 'It was as if something had been uncorked and the city became an interesting place, full of life and opportunities – obviously with many problems still,' said Carofiglio, who now lives in Rome, crediting several capable administrations, and police officers and prosecutors like himself, for helping to turn around Bari. 'But it is a place where people come and are amazed.' Nunzia Capito making home-made ear-shaped orecchiette pasta which she sells along Arco Basso in Bari. — Gianni Cipriano/The New York Times The nightlife has grown so much that it has become a point of contention. When hundreds of young revellers stayed out dancing and singing in the streets near the city centre during the festival of St Nicholas recently, some residents threw buckets of water from their balconies to shoo them away. Most radically changed is Bari Vecchia, or Old Bari, the historic centre, once ruled by criminal clans. Now, walking tours take visitors to two grand churches: the cathedral and the Basilica of St Nicholas. Residents and tourists line up outside a hole-in-the-wall bakery for Bari-style focaccia. And foreigners join the throng of visitors to Arco Basso street, where women sell ear-shaped orecchiette pasta despite accusations that some sell store-bought goods and the periodic crackdowns on local restaurants that buy untraceable pasta. For now, Vasile understands that most of Bari's tourism will be centred on the warmest months – unlike Rome and Venice, which have plenty of visitors all year. Tourism slows so much in Bari's winter that many of its souvenir shops were still shut down in this season's waning days. Standing near the airport tarmac with a view of the Adriatic during that visitor lull, Vasile allowed himself to imagine a future in which Bari becomes a year-round destination. The flights from New York, he hopes, could just be the start. 'We have become aware of new possibilities,' he said. — ©2025 The New York Times Company This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
NDTV
08-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Zohran Mamdani's 2020 Post Showing Middle Finger To Columbus Statue Sparks Outrage
Zohran Mamdani, New York City's mayoral candidate has been caught up in a storm's eye after an old social media post of him showing the middle finger to a statue of Christopher Columbus in Astoria resurfaced online. In a tweet from June 2020, he wrote, "Take it down", calling for the removal of the statue. He was running for state office at the time. However, the post was not taken well by Italian Americans in New York, including the Columbus Heritage Coalition, according to the New York Post. Angelo Vivolo, the group's president, vowed not to support Mamdani in November. "We will defend Columbus Day and Columbus statues," he said. Take it down. — Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) June 18, 2020 He was offended and said that Mamdani was being disrespectful to the Italian American community. Vivolo said, "If you offend one community, you offend all communities" and added, "I don't think he will be mayor for all the people of New York City." The Italian community makes up about 8 per cent of the city's population, Joseph Scelsa, the founder and president of the Italian American Museum said. He said, "Who's to say who is a hero and who is not a hero? Columbus is our hero." Left-wing politicians tend to target Columbus statues and Columbus Day because of how the explorer treated Native Americans when he sailed to North America. His supporters argue that he is important to the Italian Americans as his voyage was a critical moment in history. Last month, Mamdani won a stunning upset in the New York City's Democratic party mayoral primary, when he defeated New York governor Andrew Cuomo. Mamdani could face Cuomo again in November as the latter is considering contesting as an Independent. Other contenders are the current Mayor Eric Adams and Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee for New York City mayor.
India Today
08-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Zohran Mamdani's old tweet showing middle finger to Columbus statue sparks new row
As the race for New York City's mayor heats up, Democratic Party frontrunner Zohran Mamdani's old tweets have come back to haunt him. First, a 2015 tweet questioning the FBI's surveillance tactics on Anwar al-Awlaki -- a US-born cleric later linked to the terror outfit al-Qaida and alleged to have ties to the 9/11 attackers -- enraged several New Yorkers still reeling from the a 2020 tweet in which he is seen showing the middle finger to a statue of Christopher Columbus has infuriated the Italian-American voter base, which makes up 8 percent of New York City's electorate, The New York Post reported. For context, many Italian Americans view the 15th century explorer Columbus as a symbol of their cultural heritage. 'Take it down,' wrote Mamdani, while showing a middle finger at the statue in New York City's Astoria neighbourhood. "He is being disrespectful to the Italian American you offend one community, you offend all communities," Columbus Heritage Coalition president Angelo Vivolo told The New York American Museum founder and president Joseph Scelsa lashed out at Mamdani and told The New York Post, "To eliminate such a large population of people would be a travesty.""It's not inclusive. It's to say who is a hero and who is not a hero? Columbus is our hero," he further told The New York Post.- Ends
