While he was growing up in Chicago Heights during World War II, Dominic Candeloro wasn’t at all proud of his Italian ancestry. His father was a low-paid construction worker who only learned a few words of English. That and the fact that Italy was fighting against the Allies made him ashamed of his roots. The feeling persisted after the war, when th...

Dear Friends, We at the Casa Italia Library are very proud to announce the new updated republication of Reconstructing Italians in Chicago: Thirty Authors in Search of Roots and Branches." The 2011 edition sold out the original 1000 printed copy. Please order a copy or two and show your support for the work we do at the Casa Italia Library. Thanks...

October 12 2020 Roma, Italy / The United States

Dominic Candeloro, a former history and Italian-American studies professor, said that explorer Christopher Columbus’ legacy is not clearly an evil one, as some would argue. Candeloro (below), who also led the effort to create an Italian-American studies program at Loyola University Chicago, recently told The College Fix via phone interview that peo...

After 70 years in Italian America, I am still searching for the “Queen of Little Italy.” No, she’s not one of those lovely young ladies who reign over the Columbus Day Parade. My queen was short and stout and tough, and she packed a gun. She died in 1920. In her day, she controlled more votes than any other woman in Chicago. She was a midwife who d...

Leading Italian American studies scholar Carla Simonini, PhD, has been named the inaugural Paul and Ann Rubino Professor in Italian American Studies (IAS) in Loyola University Chicago’s College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), effective August 15, 2018. The endowed professorship was established to build a premier IAS program among only a handful of prog...

Following a national trend, the village of Oak Park approved a resolution authorizing Oct. 9 as Indigenous People Day within its boundaries. The resolution was unanimously approved by the Oak Park village board at its Sept. 5 meeting. According to village spokesman David Powers, the resolution applies only to village municipal government, and not t...

As part of the centenary of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, a panel of Chicago scholars and historians will explore the extraordinary impact and legacy of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini on the city of Chicago in the areas of education, healthcare, out-reach to immigrants. The event will take place on June 10 at the Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark Str...

Senatore Renato Turano presented Dominic Candeloro with the Cavaliere dell'Ordine della Stella d'Italia at the Festa della Repubblica celebration hosted by Italian Consul General Adriano Monti on June 2 at the Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in Chicago.   The award was bestowed by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano upon Dominic in hon...