During the regular city council meeting, Councilor Josh Zakim proposed new amendments to strengthen Boston’s Trust Act. The Trust Act is a citywide ordinance that prevents Boston Police from detaining immigrants on the request of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “It’s important to stand up for our values,” said Zakim during the meeting. The Read More…
When tourists visit the North End, they come to see the colonial sites on the Freedom Trail. Sure, they may get some cannoli at Mike’s or a slice of pizza at Umberto’s but Paul Revere’s House and the Old North Church are the main attractions. Those of us who live here know the history of Read More…
Boston archaeologist, Joe Bagley, revealed early conclusions from his ongoing dig at Washington Garden, adjacent to Old North Church. The event was co-sponsored by Old North Church Foundation and the North End Historical Society on May 17, 2017. Washington Garden, soon to be renamed Longfellow Garden after renovations, was once home to three buildings, 1-3 Unity Court built Read More…
What strange times we live in. We have a populist president who chooses to engage with the electorate through social media, 140 characters at a time, and accuses the mainstream news organizations of engaging in Fake News. Truth apparently emanates from the White House through president Trump’s Twitter account and people love it. At last Read More…
The history of immigration in this country is one of exploitation; the wealthy, property owning classes exploiting the poor and desperate. We saw this when our parents and grandparents immigrated to America and we still see it today. When cheap labor was needed, the gates to the United States were thrown open and a tidal Read More…
Of the twelve million immigrants who arrived at Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954 four million were Italian and my grandmother, Colomba Cordani, was one of them. She left her small Northern Italian village of Ponte del Olio near Piacenza and arrived in New York on April 27, 1909 aboard the French Line steamship Chicago. Read More…
Last weekend, it was the Women’s March and this Sunday thousands of protesters once again turned to the streets (and airports) to rile against President Trump’s immigration order to ban U.S. entry from seven Muslim countries. Here are some scenes from Copley Square, Logan Airport and other local reactions. Very happy to see Boston, my city Read More…
A regular column by Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh: National Welcoming Week takes place from September 12 – 20. It’s an opportunity to recognize immigrant communities, celebrate our city’s immigrant heritage, and recommit ourselves to creating welcoming environments for all of our newcomers. Boston has been a city of immigrants since its founding. Each wave Read More…
The photo I’m sharing today comes from a postcard dating from the 1890’s. It depicts Salem St. looking towards Cross St. The photographer was most likely standing near Blackstone St. in front of the new Boston farmer’s Market. At that time Salem St. was mainly a Jewish colony although Italians were starting to move in. Read More…
Recently I’ve researched and written a book about a group of immigrants to America in the 1840s and 1850s. Getting to Grand Prairie: One Hundred Londoners and Their Quest for Land in Frontier Illinois will appear this summer. It tells a true story of the farming community I grew up in. I’m preparing the book’s Read More…
A class from the Academy for Global Studies at Austin High School traveled from Texas to the North End last February to study “The Italians of Boston.” Documenting neighborhood history and culture, the group interviewed experts and individuals with first hand experience including North End resident Domenic Campochiaro, Dr. Vincent Cannato of UMass and Father Read More…
Not only is nothing new under the North End sun, it can apply today to Washington. Despite tremendous demand from a long list of immigration reform organizations, anti-discrimination associations and “ethnic” groups, the U.S. House of Representatives in August 1956 took no action to amend the racist McCarran-Walter immigration law. This law established national immigration Read More…