In this episode of the Italian American Podcast, hosts John and Patrick are joined by Professor Jeffrey Louis Decker, author of Rebel Girl and the Godfather: New York City’s Italians and the Fight for Civil Rights, for a fascinating exploration of Italian American involvement in the struggle for civil rights.

At the center of the conversation are two compelling and very different figures: Mary Sansone, the formidable labor organizer and community activist, and Joe Colombo, the controversial founder of the Italian American Civil Rights League. Through their stories, Professor Decker examines competing visions of Italian American identity, activism, and advancement in twentieth-century New York.

The conversation explores the stereotypes that shaped perceptions of Italian Americans, the role of labor and community organizing, and the political and cultural changes that transformed Italian American life from the Great Depression through the Reagan era. Along the way, John, Patrick, and Professor Decker consider questions of assimilation, coalition-building, ethnic identity, and what civil rights meant to different generations of Italian Americans.

 

HIS WEBSITE:
Website: https://english.ucla.edu/people-faculty/decker-jeffrey-louis/

LINK:
Read an excerpt from Jeffrey Louis Decker’s Rebel Girl and the Godfather: New York City’s Italians and the Fight for Civil Rights at
https://www.book2look.com/book/hYftxSzwIK

HOSTED BY:
John Viola
Patrick O’Boyle

SPECIAL GUEST:
Jeffrey Louis Decker

PRODUCED BY:
Nicholas Calvello-Macchia