This photograph is of my papa’s Italian family from when they first arrived in America through Ellis Island.  Even though they had a full life in Italy, they would rather come here to America for all of the freedom that America offered to immigrants as a whole. Basically, the image is of my papa, his brother (or my great uncle), and their parents. This picture is very important to my mother, especially now since my papa died about two years ago, and it is one of the only photos we have of them as a family at that age. I can connect this object to just about every occasion or holiday that we celebrate because they were the ones who preserved our traditions and we choose to continue them yearly. For example, on Christmas, we all get together at one family’s house and eat a big dinner. This also connects me to my culture because this makes me realize that in the grand scheme of things my family has not been in this country for that long and are just one of many families that immigrated through Ellis Island. 

– Donny B

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant