The Italian Studies Program supports the addition of the Italian American Oral History Archive to the FAU Library Oral History Collection.
The Italian American Oral History Archive was created and developed by the Italian faculty and graduate students of the Department of Languages Linguistics and Comparative Literature. It stemmed from the graduate course "Italian America: Translating Identities" taught by Prof. Ilaria Serra in 2017, which was attended by enthusiastic and capable graduate students. This project produces interviews with Italian Americans living in South Florida to record and preserve the memory of an overlooked immigration, and to offer primary source material for researchers, educations and general public.
If you are interested in contributing to the project, please email iserra1@fau.edu.
Links to other digital Italian American Oral History Projects:
Italian American Collective directed by Dr. Daniele Fioretti in Miami University, Ohio
Italian American Oral Histories in the Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Bronx Italian American History Initiative at Fordham University, New York
Voices of Italian Immigrants: A Journey of Discovery at Wake Forrest University, North Carolina
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Sally Valenti Interview
Ilaria Serra
An oral history with Salvatrice “Sally” Valenti, a second-generation Italian American who lived in South Florida. Valenti reflects on how pride in her Sicilian heritage motivated her achievements and community involvement, including earning a PhD from Columbia University and giving back through her membership in Il Circolo. She discusses the personal significance of her beloved carretto siciliano, how she keeps Italian traditions alive, and her love of gardening.