An Interview with an Immigrant New Yorker

We often talk about the importance of immigrants and remembering their stories because within these stories we find tales of courage, perseverance, tragedy, and love. However, people of the newest generation do not relate to immigrants because most are not, but the majority come from immigrants, and we forget that their journeys are the reasons for the lives we lead now. 

In light of I-ARC’s April theme of honoring immigrants’ stories, I took the time to sit down with my paternal grandfather and learn about his (and my) history.

I first asked him to describe his background, including where he’s from, his family, and how old he was when he came to the United States. 

“My baptismal name is Carmelo Francesco (Russo).  I was born in Milazzo, Sicily (in the Province of Messina), son of Santo and Grazia Russo (whose maiden name was Nevoso).  

Towards the end of World War II, Italy and, in particular, southern Italy and Sicily, was heavily bombarded by the Allies.  Consequently, following the war, re-construction in the south of Italy was not yet underway as in the more industrialized north, including Milano and Torino. 

In June 1955, the Russo family, composed of the three individuals noted above, and two other small female children, left Sicily from Palermo, on the SS Vulcania, facing a 13-day voyage to New York City.

That year, I had just turned nine years old.  I had never been outside of Sicily before, and had no idea where America was.  Although I had completed third grade, I had never studied anything about America, nor did I even know what the English language was like.”

As is the case for many immigrants, the struggle to learn the English language and assimilate to the United States was a culture shock, and one that did not fade easily. 

After gaining a clearer picture of the details of his voyage and the courage his parents had to pick up their lives and move, I focused on how they entered the country and the difficult process. 

“In Sicily, my father, being an un-educated mason, had a difficult time working full time in his trade.  From 1949 to the early 1950’s he and my mother tried to emigrate, first to Argentina, and then the U.S.  The reason for this “dream” to come to America stemmed from the fact that in those years, based on the immigration quotas established by the U.S., those individuals born in the Western hemisphere were given a higher quota to be able to emigrate.  My mother, although born to Italian parents, was actually born in Argentina (just outside of Buenos Aires).  At the age of seven, she and the rest of her family moved back to Sicily. Thereby, given that she was born in Argentina, she and her family were given a higher quota and were more easily provided visas to travel to the U.S. in 1955.”

His answer unfortunately reflects a discriminatory system in which some immigrants were given an advantage simply based on their place of birth. Nonetheless, he and his family were fortunate for his mother’s birthplace. Having entered a new country, I was curious as to what he noticed was most different and what had the greatest impact on his new life. 

“The Russo family arrived in New York City on the morning of June 15, 1955.  The SS Vulcania docked at Pier 92 in Manhattan. After passing U.S. Customs inspection, and finding our two steamer trunks, filled with whatever meager possessions we had brought from Sicily, we were met by a driver who brought us to the Brooklyn residence of my father’s relative. We remained there about a week and moved to a small apartment on 20th Street in Brooklyn. With the help of relatives, or friends, my father found work with a construction company and, after a few days, my mother found work in a “sweat factory,” or garment making company, all in Brooklyn.  

None of us spoke or understood English. Consequently, my mother and father relied on other Italian speaking friends from the same town in Sicily, or nearby, to get to know the area and where to shop for food and other essential things. 

Come September 1955, I was enrolled in 4th grade at the St. John the Evangelist School, located

on 21st Street and 5th Avenue in Brooklyn. I was told that my name was now Carmine Francis, having my given name “Americanized.” At that time, the teachers were predominantly from the Order of St. Joseph. I was placed in Sr. Thomas Moore’s class, in the last seat, last row. And that’s where I was left.  Sister never came by my desk, nor was I able to participate in the class’ activities, since I did not speak English.  

Finally, sometime thereafter, a lay art teacher who was assisting, came by my desk and asked me to write my name on the task that I was asked to do. I began to write my name as “Camain” because to me the name Carmine, phonetically, sounded like “Camain” with the long “ahhh.”  

So it was because of this lay teacher that I now knew how to spell and sound my Americanized name, Carmine.”

This experience propelled him to seek help for himself, as he began to realize that learning the language was the only way to truly assimilate. 

“Since I was not getting any assistance from Sr., I began buying comic books at the nearby “Eddie’s” candy store; they each cost 10 cents.  These comic books, predominantly Superman and the Superheroes, including Acquaman, helped me to start to sound out the written words. In addition, I established a friendship with young boys living on my block. They taught me how to speak English, and how to play sports, including baseball and football. It is then that I began to follow baseball and, in particular, gain my love for the Brooklyn Dodgers, for whom I still follow to this day, even though they left Brooklyn for Los Angeles in 1957.”

A nod to sports and their incredible impact on people’s lives, he made sure to note that he also likes the New York Mets and is proud to have raised five sons who share his same love of the team.  

“The most difficult thing facing both of my parents was the fact that work was not always full time.  In particular, my father, having found work as a brown stone mason, could not work during the winter months.  The brown stonework – or use of the cement – would freeze in the cold winter months. Therefore, he had to collect unemployment.  However, since he did not read or write English, I had to accompany him to the NYS unemployment office and fill out the required forms and act as his translator.  Likewise, my mother faced problems of steady work and also needed to go collect unemployment for much of the time of her life. Nonetheless, the family never relied on the city to collect any other benefits to keep on going. During those early years, the family, as well as I, relied on friendships that we had established to make the best of the opportunity provided to us in this new world called America.”

After depicting a vivid image of the struggles his family endured, he turned his attention to his own professional development despite the hardships he faced in American school. 

“Although I tried my best at school, I still had not established that good fluency in English that would fully be evident until my enlistment in the U.S. Navy in 1965, after I had turned 19. It was the best decision that I had ever made in my life (and dropping out of college). Following my four-year enlistment in the Navy, I returned home and resumed my college education, thanks to my V.A. benefits. 

I then asked him to describe some of the opportunities he had and the work he did as a result of becoming an American citizen.

“I gained my U.S. citizenship in 1960. Both of my parents went through the process and became Naturalized U.S. citizens that same year. As a U.S. Citizen, I was able to join the Navy. I learned so much during my military service. I became more independent and able to see the world in a new way. During my service time, I was assigned aboard ship, home ported in Little Creek, Virginia.  During ship service, we traveled to a base in Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Thereafter, based on my service related tests, I was trained to be a Radioman and Teletype Operator, specializing in Morse Code, a task that would help me tremendously during my professional life, first as an Investigator in the NYS Attorney General’s Office, and lastly as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  

Given my God-given ability to have the diligence and discipline that I learned in the Navy, I was able to translate that in the important work that I loved to do to help in preserving the freedom and security of the people of our country. Moreover, the work that I did in the FBI gave me the opportunity to represent the U.S government as its representative at the U.S. Embassy, in Rome, Italy, on two occasions; first as the Assistant Legal Attache’ and, lastly, as the Legal Attache’ of the FBI, in Rome. This was the ultimate thank you to America. I was able to represent my adopted country in the country where I was born.”

The ability to thank America in his home country was undoubtedly an experience of great importance to him and was a significant part of his story, even though it came much later in his immigration tale.

Finally, I asked, “What does being an immigrant mean to you? Is there a message you’d like to give other immigrants who are in the process of coming to this country?”

His response has become one of my favorites. 

“Only in America” - this quote has been stated and written thousands of times.  I have never forgotten to give thanks to my parents for having had the courage and strength to leave Italy and come to America. I don’t know what life would have been like for me and my family had we remained in Sicily. Surely, coming to America at the time that we did was difficult, at first, because of the language barrier. However, the assistance from friends and relatives made it a little easier than if we had no one to rely upon, especially in the beginning.

However, as noted above, the most difficult period of my transition to America was the very beginning, in Sr. Thomas Moore’s class. Having overcome that aspect, with the perseverance and ability to raise oneself up and take advantage of the enormous possibilities available to us, it was all worthwhile. I am grateful for all that America has given to me and I will always do my best to uphold the traditions and values to make this a better place for all, especially those immigrants, as myself, who only want the best for their family and all the opportunities that this country has to offer.”

His message of a desire to help oneself and not rely on the city, state, or even teachers and others in positions of authority to be of assistance, is one that rings true for many immigrants today. A vast majority, like him, do not speak English and do not have adequate resources for a smooth transition to a new country and a new life. However, it is in our understanding of our own histories and each other’s that we find the calling to help where we can. Immigrants are drawn to this country because it is the land of opportunity, and in full circle, they are the consistent force that makes this country desirable to others. My grandfather’s story is one of many and serves as a valuable reminder that we can learn many lessons in character from immigrants.

To immigrants everywhere and those currently struggling to make America their new home- Thank you.