Speech #910318923

Alex Del Giorno has spoken of himself only as an example to be presented of the larger picture. for your fathers and grandparents in their own way experienced the same emotions and desires. the same anxieties. and they. too. saw that by devotion to duty. hard work. obedience to the law. devotion to friends. respect of neighbors. and love of the flag. there was a reward for them. the reward of some day calling themselves American citizens. and then to be able to say they also were now part of the warp and woofof the melting pot. Your fathers and grandfathers strove hard to learn an extra word of this very difficult language for us Italians. for they knew that communication with others and understanding on their part was basic to their acceptance in the community and to their very happiness and modest success they were hoping for. I have known so many Immigrants who for years were alone in this great land. away from their beloved wives and children. and toiling under harsh conditions. pining only for the day when they could bring them to this hospitable land. It was the rule and not the exception that they slept in some small hallway room. sometimes two and three together to save on rent. or were boarders in the home of some other immigrant whose wife had to take in boarders to help overcome the economic difficulties of feeding and raising a family on the meager wages that they also earned. Outside of the neighborhood artisans. that is the barber. tailor. shoemaker. most of your ancestors worked for long hours at backbreaking jobs of building railroads and subways. excavating. cement and stone masonry. mining. farming. menial and heavy work in factories. They did not work 5 or 6 hours a day as in these days of Unionism. but 10. 12 or even more hours a day to merely keep the good will of their bosses. and their bodies and souls together. ever dreaming of better days for themselves and their children. I remember. as any immigrant would. with nostalgic emotions and true love. the land of my birth. Italy. but once I tasted the nectar of the gods. America.