AREA ITALIANS DURING WWII

Charleston and much of WV had a fairly large Italian population by WWII. These were hard working people who immigrated as many did , to work the mines.  However, as a group, many Italians had valuable skills in stone masonry,  tile setters, jewelers and more. As Italians spread out and began to prosper,  many became well-known businessmen.  But WWII was a particular issue for the Italians, as it was for America's Germans:  How to convince the rest of the U.S that they were red, white, and blue..... and avoid any backlash from their communities. 10 June 1940 Italy officially declared war against UK and France, already being a part of the pact with the other Axis powers since before 1939.  This was of grave concern to America's Italians....  One of the ways Italians proved their patriotism was to join the military in droves.  Another was to assure the American public that they were not only NOT a threat, but  valuable allies to Americans everywhere.   This was done in conjunction with local and national government through the use of newspaper articles filled with the history of "home-grown" Italians and the valuable asset they had become to the community.  Charleston, like thousands of cities across America, printed mini histories on the well known minority businessmen of the day.  This not only included Italians, but other minorities such as Greeks,  Syrians and even Chinese.  Charleston had a much larger population of Italians however, and so a full page was devoted just to them. Here then are some of the articles and "ads" printed in June of 1942 by the Daily Mail newspaper

         

This article is interesting,  if not just for the stereotypical thinking of most people at that time.  For instance:   "Italians are peaceful and lovable.  The Sicilians are more reliable than many northerners (Italy) "  ( Remember, we had just completed the Gangster period)  And my favorite:  "He may be of short stature,  yet in his own world, he is the king"

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Now.... let's go back 35 years earlier.

The Italians, like pretty much ALL immigrants were often mistreated when they first arrived on our shores. Notice the use of the word "Dago" in the story.  While Italian friends of mine didnt care if you called them that, it could also be a fighting word from the wrong person.   Many nationalities came to WV to help build the railroads and work in the coal mines. The days were long and the pay short.  The bosses could get away with just about anything because we were so secluded and there was always someone to take your place.  This is why the Union came into being years later. Note: Deepwater is about 30 miles SW of Charleston WV and where the train cars blew up recently.