THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE


Because Sicilian immigrants spread to many cities across America, their experiences in various regions looked notably different. The seasonal nature of working in agriculture meant that Sicilians on the Gulf Coast held different jobs throughout the year. Their housing was in constant flux as they moved between city and countryside with the seasons. When they weren’t working in the fields, Sicilians often found work building railroads and trucking fruit.


LEMONS AND BANANAS


Some of the first Sicilians to settle in New Orleans were citrus traders in the 1830s. The lemons they brought with them became integral to the American diet and economy. The lemons traveled across the Atlantic in ships, which also transported immigrants to the United States. Once they arrived in New Orleans, steamboats were used to distribute the lemons around the country to be used for cooking and preserving canned foods. Sicilians expanded this thriving business model to encompass many different fruits—including bananas, following the invention of refrigeration in the 1890s. One of the largest Sicilian-owned fruit distributors was the Vaccaro brothers’ Standard Fruit Company, now known as Dole Food Company.


The Northern industrialized cities were hubs for immigration from around the world, whereas the Gulf Coast was a predominantly native-born population. Sicilians were caught in the middle of a socially stratified society that hinged on race. Prior to the Civil War, the social categorization in New Orleans accounted for many ethnicities: white Creoles, Creoles of color, free Blacks, descendents of German and Irish immigrants, and many more. However, during Reconstruction the social and legal classification of people narrowed to only two categories—black or white. Since Sicilians could not be neatly categorized, their status was highly contested. Initially, they were seen as racially inferior and often faced similar prejudices as Black populations. During this time, many Sicilians kept to their own communities. A section of the French Quarter in New Orleans became known as Little Palermo, because of the concentrated population of Sicilians. However, it is notable that the racial status of Sicilians changed over time. In 1898, the Louisiana state legislature exempted Italians from Jim Crow segregation. While Sicilians were still seen as “other,” they began to benefit from more privileges of whiteness.


CONNECTING WITH NEIGHBORS


Although generally remaining in their insulated communities, Sicilians did form connections with the African American community. These two populations lived in close proximity—the population of Little Palmero was 40% Black in 1905. These two communities often worked together and shared traditions with one another. Through worshipping closely with Sicilians, many African Americans adopted the practice of celebrating St. Joseph’s Day by constructing altars and sharing a feast. Sicilians


also celebrated the music of the African American and Creole communities, with many musicians joining the jazz scene in the early 20th century. As these connections strengthened, Sicilians deepened their roots in America and began assimilating in a way that “birds of passage” did not. By 1900, 78% of Italians age five and older in New Orleans could speak English.


SHIFTING TRADITIONS


Though immigrants arrived from Sicily with many traditions, some faded away as their lifestyle shifted in the United States. While family is central to Sicilian culture, a new emphasis was placed on extended family as migration networks gained importance. Once the head of a household had established himself in America, he would send for his family to join him. After making the passage across the Atlantic, extended family members would live together as they gained stability in the new country.


Attitudes toward education also began to change. In Sicily, children were expected to work and help provide for the family as soon as they were old enough, so formal education was not highly valued. Older generations of Sicilian-Americans were wary of the “American values” being emphasized in schools. However, as the younger generations began having children and saw the social and economic benefits of being well educated, they placed more importance on formal schooling.


Through decades of living in the United States, Sicilians adopted new traditions and adapted old ones, creating a distinct Sicilian- American identity and culture.•


Courtyard of an Italian home, New Orleans, before 1926


Photo by Arnold Genthe/Library of Congress


THE ROSE TATTOO UPSTAGE GUIDE


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