Italian immigrants began arriving in the United States in large numbers between the late 1800s and early 1900s. Italian communities took root in many neighborhoods in cities including Rochester, NY. While established families with Italian roots have flourished over many generations, new immigrants continue to join our community. Rochester is home to a vibrant multicultural and multilingual Italian community proud of its heritage. 

Join panelists Carmelo Oliveri, Jordyn Bagley, and Kathy Castania for a discussion of Italian American life in Rochester, moderated by RIT History professor Michael Brown. Panelists will share personal experiences, family stories, and connections to their heritage in a conversation reflecting on local history and memory. Also learn how you can share your own story by participating in an oral history project that archives local Italian American experiences.

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Michael Brown is an associate professor of history at Rochester Institute of Technology with family from Sicily, Campania, and Calabria.

Kathy Castania is a dedicated community activist and interculturalist with roots in the Caltanissetta region of Sicily. She is a founding member of Cugini di Roc and the Opening Doors Institute. 

Jordyn Bagley is an Italian American community member involved with Cugini di Roc and the Frank DiMino Casa Italiana Oral History Project. 

Carmelo Oliveri is a proud American born in Valguarnera Caropepe, Sicily, and is thankful for his parents, Maria and Cristofero Oliveri, for immigrating to the US on Thanksgiving Day in 1954.

Registration is recommended, but not required.

Presented by the Central Library's Local History & Genealogy Division in partnership with Cugini di Roc.