ABOUT

HISTORY

Italy is a land of texture and color based on the cultural history hammered to a fine patina through numerous invasions, political divides, and regionalism. Curiously, the most significant wave of emigration from Italy to the USA started in 1870, after Italy became a unified country, especially from the South. The Southerners mostly came because they were starving to death.

Upon arrival in America, the immigrants would not have answered Italy when asked where they were from. They would identify themselves by their region. Whether they said Calabria, Sicilia, or Naple, the clerks labeled them “Italian” as they processed them through immigration. Once admitted into the USA, they immediately became the fodder that helped build our great country and, in doing so, became part of the fabric we call America.

Among the five million Italians who came during the 1870-1920 wave of immigration was a 13-year-old, illiterate, fatherless boy baptized Michelangelo Rizzo. He came from the little mountain town of Platania in Calabria arriving in New York in 1910.

Later re-named Michael Ritzzo by the U.S. Naturalization Board, his story symbolizes the struggles and challenges of those who came eager to succeed in the “new world” and create a better life for their children and grandchildren.

Therefore, this education foundation is in his memory and in honor of the tremendous work ethic and commitment to family and community that he instilled in his children.