Introduction

It was in the 1980s that Italian Americans finally “made it” in American society. Such was the conclusion of the mainstream media. In 1983 The New York Times ran a Sunday magazine feature story under the headline “Italian-Americans Coming into Their Own.” ¹ The article cited numerous instances of people of Italian heritage who had recently assumed leadership roles in politics, culture and business—individuals like New York Governor Mario Cuomo, Los Angeles Dodgers Manager Tommy Lasorda, architect Robert Venturi, U.S. Representative Geraldine Ferraro, choreographer Michael Bennett, U.S. District Court Judge John Sirica, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago and National Organization for Women President Eleanor Cutri Smeal—as evidence that Italian Americans were climbing unfettered to the highest plateaus of achievement. Confirmation of Italian American success was easy to find in those years. Governor Cuomo was considered a likely candidate for the presidency, especially after his famous Keynote Address at the Democratic National Convention in 1984. In 1986, Antonin Scalia became the first Italian American named to the Supreme Court. In Hollywood, actors and film directors who had had breakthroughs with Mafia films in the previous decade were demonstrating an astonishing range of talent. In 1983 LIFE magazine ran a story about the efforts of Chrysler CEO Lee (Lido) Iacocca to restore Ellis Island. ² The magazine featured as its centerfold a picture of the elderly Esterina Mazzuca, who entered the country through Ellis Island, posing with eighty-one of her living descendants in the Great Hall of the former immigration center. (See Color Plate 18.) In 1990 the Immigration Museum on Ellis Island opened its doors. Understandably, many Italian Americans considered the 1980s a time of validation, while the American establishment congratulated itself on the latest version of the story that says hard work wins out.